Scientific Breakthrough Could Allow Humans To Live For Hundreds Of Years

January 24, 2008 4:23 p.m. EST

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - A California-based scientist claims to have genetically engineered an organism that is capable of living 10 times longer than normal and says the breakthrough is expected to lead the way in helping prolong the lifespan of humans.

Valter Longo of the University of Southern California (USC) modified yeast to live longer and says, "We're setting the foundation for reprogramming healthy life."

One day, Longo says humans could live for 800 years. However, other scientists aren't so sure. The study has will debut in the Jan. 25 issue of the journal PLOS Genetics.

A companion study, depicting that the similar genetic changes in yeast reverse the route of an accelerated aging syndrome, ran in the Jan. 14 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology.