Finding a way to stop the ageing process has been an elusive, age-old dream. Now scientists from Australia and the US believe they have not only found a way to press pause – but to rewind the ageing process as well.

While the study was conducted using mice, molecular biologist David Sinclair from the University of New South Wales and Harvard University said the findings were significant and could have implications for the treatment of age-related diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes.

The fountain of youth? Human trials could start next year, the hope being to develop treatments for age-related diseases such as cancer.

The research team discovered a key mechanism that keeps the body's cells communicating. In youth, communication inside individual cells – between the cell's "battery" known as the mitochondrion and the nucleus – is fast and frequent. But over time, this slows and ageing accelerates.

"The ageing process we discovered is like a married couple – when they are young, they communicate well. But over time, living in close quarters for many years, communication breaks down," Professor Sinclair said. "And just like a couple, restoring communication solved the problem."