Science finds to stop and fight aging

Science finds to stop and fight aging

In news that could revolutionize the world of medicine and science, researchers at Cambridge University's Braham Institute have come up with a new way to turn back the clock in human skin cells, through experiments using a very promising anti-aging technology.

While these cells functioned like cells 30 years younger, they were able to retain some of their specialized functions acquired through life, an exciting advance in this field, according to eLife, New Atlas reported.

induced stem cells

In 2012, Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in developing iPSCs. These cells begin as adult tissue cells that are harvested and exposed to four molecules called Yamanaka factors, which return them to an immature state. Thus, stem cells can theoretically develop into any type of cell in the body.

It was also previously announced that scientists have benefited from the Yamanaka factor technology in a number of exciting ways, as they have been implanted in rabbits to restore vision and ability to see, treat dopamine deficiency in animal models of Parkinson's disease and repair damaged heart muscles in pigs.

However, the complete reprogramming process takes about 50 days to subject the cells to Yamanaka factors, while the Prabraham Institute scientists have found that there is a shortcoming in this process that may bring some important benefits to the schedule.

Reprogram

When cells undergo complete reprogramming, they give up some of the specialized capabilities they developed during maturation. In the case of skin cells, this includes producing collagen for use in tendons, ligaments, and bones and to aid in wound healing. The idea was based on restoring these cells to the state of youth, but without completely erasing their identity.

The team's new technique, called maturation-cross-reprogramming, also allows cells to display Yamanaka factors for only 13 days, to remove age-related changes and erase identity, but only temporarily. These regenerated cells were allowed to grow under normal conditions, and once again acquired the properties of skin cells.

By looking at the chemical markers that make up the epigenetic clock and the molecules the cells express, the scientists confirmed that the reprogrammed cells matched characteristics of cells 30 years younger. The reprogrammed cells also produced more collagen than the control cells, and they reacted more effectively in laboratory experiments designed to replicate wound healing.

Big step forward

Dr Diljit Gale, a study co-author, said: "Our results represent a major step forward in our understanding of cell reprogramming."

He added, "We have demonstrated that cells can regenerate without losing their function and that regeneration seeks to restore some function to the old cells."

Interestingly, the scientists also found that the modified technique also appears to have anti-aging effects on genes linked to Alzheimer's disease and cataracts.

Amazing treatment horizon

Professor Wolf Rick, also a co-author of the study, said: "This work has very exciting implications. Ultimately, we may be able to identify genes that regenerate without reprogramming, and specifically target those genes to reduce the effects of aging.”

He also pointed out that "this approach heralds valuable discoveries that could open an amazing therapeutic horizon."