Using fruit flies, Brown University researchers have identified a cellular mechanism that could someday help fight the aging process. This intervention takes place with few or no side effects on the quality of life for the fruit fly. The discovery could lead to the development of new anti-aging treatments. “There are very few, if any, interventions that are known to dramatically extend healthy lifespan,” Helfand said. “Understanding how the metabolic state of the fruit fly would allow someone to come up with pharmacological interventions that could mimic it and give you the benefit of genetic manipulation without having to do…