For generations, it has been the fantasy of women - and men. Scientists claim to have discovered a mechanism to slow down the aging process in human skin.
Scientists have managed to reverse 30 years of aging in human skin cells, resetting them to a far more young condition in terms of specific chemical markers. It's not quite the mythological fountain of youth, but it's a start:
While the research is still in its early stages, we shouldn't get too excited just yet. The technology could play a key role in the development of rejuvenation therapy that can reverse some of the negative effects of aging.
The fact that the skin cells were reprogrammed to be biologically younger while yet retaining some of the functionality that made them skin cells in the first place makes the study extremely noteworthy.
The team from the University of Cambridge's Babraham Institute was able to partially restore the function of older cells as well as rejuvenate the molecular measures of biological age. Though the findings, which were published in the journal eLife, are still in the early stages of an investigation, they have the potential to revolutionize regenerative medicine.
The new method circumvents the issue of completely erasing cell identity by pausing reprogramming partway through the process. This enabled researchers to strike the perfect balance between reprogramming cells, making them biologically younger, and restoring their specialized cell function.
Shinya Yamanaka was the first scientist in 2007 to convert normal cells with a specific function into stem cells with the ability to develop into any cell type. The entire process of stem cell reprogramming takes about 50 days and involves four key molecules known as the Yamanaka factors.
The new method, dubbed 'maturation phase transient reprogramming,' works faster (13 days vs. 50 days in Yamanaka's trials) and ceases before the stem cell state is achieved, allowing the cell to preserve its original identity and function.
Collagen formation is an important function of skin cells, as it helps to structure tissue and repair wounds, and the youthful cells were shown to be still producing it. They were making more collagen than control skin cells that hadn't been reprogrammed.
There are a huge number of age-related health issues to tackle, from heart disease to Alzheimer's. They hope to identify genes that rejuvenate without reprogramming and target those to reduce the effects of aging.
One of the next steps will be to apply the techniques used here to other types of cells in the body. One of the next steps will be to try and apply the techniques used here to other types of cells in the body and to make sure the processes are completely safe before moving them out of the lab and into clinical trials.
