Healing the rumor mill: Bangkok hospital denies ‘rejuvenating DNA’ trials with a dose of truth

King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, alongside Chulalongkorn University (CU), yesterday refuted allegations of conducting “rejuvenating DNA” trials on human subjects following a claim by someone to have undergone such treatment at their facilities.

In a joint statement, both institutions clarified that the pioneering rejuvenating DNA, developed by CU’s Faculty of Medicine specialist team under the RED-GEMs (REjuvenating DNA by GEnomic Stability Molecules) project, has not undergone testing on humans thus far.

The innovative RED-GEMs treatment, according to laboratory investigations, has the potential to reverse the ageing process in animals. The team behind the venture anticipates that this revolutionary treatment could address a range of age-related diseases and conditions, potentially injecting a degree of youthfulness back into gradually ageing societies.

Despite these promising prospects, the team stated, they must secure approval from a research ethics committee to initiate clinical trials. So far, they lack sufficient data regarding the efficacy and safety of the RED-GEMs treatment for potential use on humans, the release explained.

Both the hospital and university strongly denied providing RED-GEMs to any patients.

The trailblazing treatment was first introduced by Professor Apiwat Mutirangura, an expert in molecular genetics and epigenetics and the head of CU’s Department of Anatomy. He declared the successful application of RED-GEMs on mice in July 2021, witnessing the incredible reversal of the creatures’ ageing cells.

Furthermore, the researchers claimed they could restore functionality in previously ineffective areas of the mice’s brains.

Looking ahead, the researchers plan to test the treatment on larger animals, such as macaques, to study the long-term impacts before launching clinical trials.