A Kansas-based company launched a clinical trial in Colombia to reverse aging. But will it work?
An American biotech company has launched clinical trials in Colombia to test a new therapy designed to reverse the aging process, and in turn, treat age-related diseases, according to news reports.
But to steal a sip from this purported fountain of youth, participants in the trial must first fork over $1 million — a fee that seems even more astronomical when you consider that most clinical trials are either free or provide participants with financial compensation, according to a report by OneZero, a Medium publication about tech and science.
The pricey trial is being run by Libella Gene Therapeutics, a Kansas-based company whose website proclaims that “the future is here.” The company announced its intention to test its anti-aging remedies in Cartagena, Colombia, in 2018, and began recruiting for the trials in October of this year. Using a single-gene therapy, Libella aims to “prevent, delay, or even reverse” the general effects of aging, as well as treat diseases that emerge in old age, such as Alzheimer’s, according to ClinicalTrials.gov.
In fact, in its own press release, the company boasted, without evidence, that its gene therapy “may be the world’s first cure for Alzheimer’s disease.” The bold claim raises an obvious question: Will the treatment actually work?
Short answer: No one really knows, but the fact that Libella shipped its operation beyond the reach of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t inspire confidence, experts told OneZero.
