Researchers at the University of Hong Kong on Thursday said they have created a model that has the potential to speed up the development of anti-ageing products and drugs to combat age-related diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's.

One of the researchers, Dr Cherie Lee, said that as Hong Kong's population ages, the need for age-related medical care will also increase, leading to an urgent need for research into anti-ageing methods.

In the past, studies of the ageing process have had to rely on either animal ageing models or cell lines, neither of which are accurate due to differences in human physiology.

The research team, led by Professor of Biomedical Sciences Liu Pengtao, says it has developed a new cellular system that can be used to rapidly discover anti-ageing molecules.

They say this will enable researchers to understand the mechanisms of ageing in a controlled environment and to accurately observe the key features of ageing, thereby improving human health and longevity.

Liu said this can not only open the door to further research, such as the discovery of ageing molecules or clinical research, but also to the development of drugs for age-related diseases.