Researchers have identified the gene able to delay the aging process in the whole body when activated remotely in core organ systems.

The gene called AMPK is normally activated by low energy levels in the cell. It was intentionally activated by biologists in fruit flies used in a study recently published in the open source journal, Cell Reports.

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AMPK is an essential energy sensor in cells.

The research team was led by associate professor of integrative biology and physiology David Walker from the University of California, Los Angeles.

After the levels of the AMPK gene were increased in their intestines, fruit flies were able to enjoy eight weeks of life as opposed to the normal six. The gene added roughly 30 percent more time to the insect's life span and was also made them healthier for a longer period of time.

The study could have significant implications for keeping aging and diseases at bay in humans as well as animals, Walker said.

"We have shown that when we activate the gene in the intestine or the nervous system, we see the aging process is slowed beyond the organ system in which the gene is activated," he added.

Walker said extending the healthy lives of humans will rely on delaying aging in the body's many organ systems.

Providing the anti-aging treatments to core organs such as the brain, however, could potentially prove difficult. The aging process in the entire body could be delayed by triggering the gene in more accessible organs such as the intestines, instead.

Walker said while humans have the AMPK gene, activating the gene is not usually at high levels.

"Instead of studying the diseases of aging -- Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes -- one by one, we believe it may be possible to intervene in the aging process and delay the onset of many of these diseases," said Walker.

"We are not there yet, and it could, of course, take many years, but that is our goal and we think it is realistic.

Tagsgenes, Genetics, Fruit flies, Aging, Anti-aging, Science, scientific research, Scientific Study