In a lab at Queensland University of Technology’s Cancer and Ageing Research Program there’s been a discovery that could change the way we live and when we die.

Researchers believe they’ve found the holy grail — the fountain of youth.

QUT Professor Dr Ken O’Byrne said he got “hairs on the back of my neck” when he saw the discovery.

“We may be able to take a 60-year-old’s cells and make them 40,” he said.

It’s an anti-ageing drug to stop the DNA wrecking ball which causes cancer, heart disease, cholesterol, arthritis and Alzheimer’s — which 50 per cent of people over the age of 80 have.

This drug could prevent them all, delay their onset or even reverse it.

Camera Icon Ken O’Byrne says the discovery could be a game-changer.

Dr Derek Richard said they “have a lead compound but that seems to reverse the ageing process”.

Researchers need $5 million to turn the compound into a pill you take every day.

They used the same science to make another breakthrough: they’ve created a new drug which could replace chemotherapy.

In pre-clinical trials, it has been effective against prostate cancer, drug-resistant lung cancer and melanoma.

The Scottish-born scientist and the Irish-born oncologist want their discovery to stay in the country they now call home.

“With our drugs we could impact on millions of people every year,” Dr Richard said.

Clinical trials begin next year.

To donate go to www.carp.org.au.