The skin of a 53-year-old woman went back 30 years thanks to an anti-aging method of the cells, while the scientists are even optimistic that in the future they will be able to do something similar with other tissues of the body.
Engin_Akyurt / Pixabay Engin_Akyurt / Pixabay
Newsroom Newsroom
Scientists in Britain have reprogrammed and revisited the skin cells of a 53-year-old woman so that they not only look like but also behave like those of a 23-year-old, somehow turning the biological clock back 30 years.
They are even optimistic that in the future they will be able to do something similar with other tissues of the body such as muscles, liver and blood cells.
The ultimate goal is the development of anti-aging treatments for diseases that depend significantly on age, such as diabetes, heart disease, neurological disorders, etc.
Some envision an "elixir" of youth in the form of an anti-aging pill that will rejuvenate the whole body - something that is certainly far from a reality (if it ever happens).
Researchers at the Babraham Institute at the University of Cambridge, led by Professor Wolf Reik, who published the paper in the journal eLife, expressed the hope that the technique would one day be used to keep people healthy for as long as possible, so that the increasing lengthening of life expectancy to be combined with a healthier life.
However, research is still in its infancy, according to scientists, and many obstacles must be overcome (including the method increases the risk of cancer) in order for the technology to leave the laboratory and be used clinically safely. But the new study shows that in principle it is possible to rejuvenate cells.
"I remember the day I got the results and I did not believe that some cells were actually 30 years younger than they should be. "It was an exciting day," Reik said. As he said, one of the first applications is expected to be the development of drugs that will rejuvenate the skin of the elderly, especially those who have suffered burns or cuts.
Other scientists, such as Robin Lovell-Badge, a professor at the Creek Institute in London, are more cautious, according to the BBC, that obstacles to even the simplest medical application will not be negligible.
Reversing aging is a huge scientific challenge for the broader field of regenerative biology and medicine - and a "goldmine" for anyone who succeeds first.
Several researchers from the British Babraham Institute have already left for the United States to work for Silicon Valley's new company Altos Labs in California.
The ambitious company has been funded with 2, 2.2 billion by wealthy investors and has included several Nobel Laureates in its potential, with the ultimate goal of "slowing down" aging and the diseases that accompany it.
No comments:
Post a Comment