CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS Cheating death: the pill for living for 200 years

Longevity has reached a record-level in the developed countries. In France, for example, women live on average 85 years, which is three and a half times more than the life expectancy in mid 18th century, which was limited at 25 years. Specialists are now wondering whether lifespan could be extended past 100 years, to 150 or even 200 years. It is one of the goals which nanotechnologies are seeking to achieve, techniques which allow designing, atom by atom, of some miniaturized "tools", which are invisible to the naked eye and whose precision is as high as one billionth of a meter. This type of mechanisms, created on a mezoscopic scale, include mechanisms the size of a grain of pollen. Scientists have recently succeeded in getting nanomotors to start in vitro. These nanodevices will soon be able to travel within the human body to destroy diseased cells or to administer the molecules necessary for certain diseases (such as insulin in the case of diabetes). A "nanotech" world is about to be born and in the coming decades, it will allow the application of medical treatments customized to every patient, based on their genetic and biological characteristics. The global market for nanotechnologies is in full expansion, in areas such as electronics, materials and biotechnologies. Estimated at 500 billion dollars in 2008, the market will double its value in 2015, according to the estimates of the National Science Foundation. That assessment is determined by the increase in the number of cardiovascular, neurological, oncological and respiratory diseases.

The world market for nanomedicine could be worth somewhere between 97 and 129 billion dollars in 2016. These predictions are made in a study made by the Association of French drug makers (Leem). Overall, nanotechnologies could generate more than 2 million jobs all over the world.

Therefore, nanotechnologies are of interest both to scientists, as well as engineers or industrialists, but particularly to investors attracted by biotechnologies, for example Carmat, the creator of the first artificial heart. A segment which is attracting the attention of fund managers, as well as of the private investors looking to invest significant amounts.

Which is good news, because the evolution of nanotechnologies is quick-paced and the many companies developing them need increasingly bigger funding.

Whereas in 1990 it was impossible to determine the sequences and to analyze the entire human genome of 3.2 billion pairs of nucleotides, businesspeople now have the means to study them. Armed with the "map" of the human body, they can identify a modification that will determine the occurrence of a deficiency or a disease such as cancer. Many companies have started off on this exciting technological adventure. American company Affymetrix has created a method, called Affymetrix GeneChip, which allows the analysis of complex genetic information. In early June, the company announced the launch of a genetic analysis software created intended for cancer research. In the first quarter of 2014, Affymetrix had a turnover of 82.9 million dollars, up 5 million YOY.

A pioneer in nanomedicine, French company Nanobiotix is also working on the issue of longevity and has devised a therapy intended for the localized treatment of cancer, called NanoXray. The main product which the company sells is NBTX R3 and it consists of injecting nanoparticles at the center of the cancer tumor. These particles increase the effectiveness of X-rays against the cancer cells and deliver the necessary dose of radiation, preventing the healthy tissues from being affected. The method may facilitate the treatment and curing of a large number of liver, colon or prostate cancer patients. The company expects that its anti-cancer treatment, which may be used for treating one million patients, will become available starting in 2016. Which will represent a turnover of 5 billion Euros in 2031.

Another telling example: with the help of nanoparticles, Adocia has invented a material the surface of which is covered in hyaluronic acid. The acid in question, which is naturally generated by the human body, improves the efficiency of the action of the anti-cancerous agents at the center of tumors. The first clinical results have shown actual effectiveness in the treatment of the so-called "solid" tumors. Adocia's main objective is to develop a product for the treatment of ovarian cancer and to launch the first clinical trials at the end of this year.

Swiss pharma group Novartis has succeeded in creating a drug intended for patients that suffer from age-related macular degeneration. This treatment, the first in the world that prevents the loss of ocular acuity due to aging, was created with the help of nanocapsules called lyposomes that carry the drug.

Repairing sick cells and organs is not the only benefit of nanotechnologies. They can also put a brake on aging. Russian scientist Vladimir Skulacev is working on a true "fountain of life". Specifically, it is a molecule that neutralizes the aging of tissues which is considered to blame for the numerous changes caused by the passage of time. Together with his colleagues, the Russian academician has created Mitotech, which is working on a drug based on this mitochondrial antioxidant, called SkQ1.

And last but not least, there are numerous other examples that demonstrate the efficiency and the benefits of nanotechnologies. Absorbent and biodegradable diapers for children, made out of jellyfish; bread whose flavor is embedded in it prior to baking; 100% impermeable bathing suits; a car body that never gets dirty.

Nanotechnologies open up new perspectives. More than a thousand products created using these technologies are in fact available. A technological revolution which will radically change the world we live in, and which will allow the future generations to live for 150 or 200 years.