A British research team has developed a new technique that makes old cells behave like younger cells, eliminating age-related changes.
In experiments that simulated a skin wound, old cells were exposed to a mixture of chemicals to reprogram and make them behave more like younger cells. Image: David Davies/PA
A team at the Babraham Institute at the University of Cambridge (UK) has developed a method to reprogram skin cells so that they behave as if they are much younger. Guardian reported on 7/4. Accordingly, humans can “go back in time” up to 30 years. New research could lead to the development of techniques that help prevent senile disease by restoring the function of aging cells and reducing their biological age.
In experiments that simulated a skin wound, old cells were exposed to a mixture of chemicals to reprogram and make them behave more like younger cells, eliminating age-related changes. Scientists have done this before, but the new method is done in much less time, reducing it from 50 days to 13 days, while making the cells even younger.
“Human’s understanding of aging at the molecular level has advanced over the past decade, helping to develop techniques that allow researchers to measure age-related biological changes in human cells. We applied this in an experiment to determine the extent of reprogramming achieved by our new method. Our results represent a major advance in the understanding of cellular reprogramming,” said Dr. Diljeet Gill. at the Babraham Institute said.
The new method builds on the Nobel Prize-winning technique that scientists use to generate stem cells. The technique is inspired by the process by which old parental cells are transformed into the young tissue of a newborn baby. This is a kind of biological “white paper”, which has no trace of age.
The Babraham research is a step forward because the technique does not completely erase the original cells. Instead, the reprogramming process was stopped halfway, allowing the team to find a balance between creating biologically younger cells with preserving their specialized cellular functions. they.
The experiment holds promising signs that rejuvenated cells lead to better wound healing. The reprogrammed cells produce more collagen protein, which helps in wound healing, than cells that have not undergone the reprogramming.
The team also found that the new approach boosts other genes associated with age-related diseases and symptoms. This includes the APBA2 gene (Alzheimer’s disease) and the MAF (cataract) gene. However, the team says the mechanism behind the reprogramming is not fully understood as it can cause cancer and needs to be studied further before it can be applied to the field of regenerative medicine.
Thu Thao (According to Guardian)
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
