Scientists at the University of Cambridge, UK, have managed, for the first time, to regenerate the skin cells of a 53-year-old woman in 30 years. The researchers believe that using the same technology, they can reproduce with other tissues in the body. The ability to reverse the course of aging is critical to preventing and treating aging-related diseases such as heart and nerve problems.
The researchers believe that using the same technology, they can reproduce the results in other tissues in the body.
The study was published Friday in the scientific journal eLife by British, German and Portuguese scientists at the Abraham Institute of Epigenetics in Cambridge. It is based on the same cell reprogramming technology used to create Dolly the cloned sheep in the 1990s at the Roslin Institute, also in the UK.
The research is still at an early stage, and promises to revolutionize regenerative medicine. “We will be able to identify specific genes that regenerate without the need for cell reprogramming,” says Wolf Rick, lead author of the study. One of the tools for repairing or replacing damaged cells with age is the ability to convert stem cells into specific cells and vice versa. Stem cells appear early in the embryo and can transform into all types of tissues in the human body. However, only a few types have been reprogrammed in the lab, such as skin cells or fibroblasts.
In 2007, after learning how to clone Dolly, scientist Shinya Yamanaka transformed normal cells into stem cells, capable of becoming any type of cell in much less time. The process took 50 days and used molecules called Yamanaka factors, then scientists at the Pabraham Institute devised a new method. In it, fibroblasts were exposed to the agents for only 13 days. Thus, they lost the signs of aging, but preserved the functions of the skin cells, such as collagen production. Then they looked for changes in signs of aging — certain chemical and genetic traits.
By these measurements, the observed cell was similar to a 23-year-old cell, both in appearance and performance. Currently, the technology cannot be clinically tested, as it increases the risk of cancer. But, scientists say, as technology advances, it will be possible to use it to provide a better quality of life for the elderly. Information from the newspaper. State of Sao Paulo.
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