The ability of human cells to function decreases as we age. While the genome accumulates signs of aging, regenerative biology aims to repair or replace these cells.
One of the mechanisms used by scientists is based on our ability to create induced stem cells. In theory, these stem cells have the potential to become any type of cell. Scientists look for ways to recreate the conditions necessary to differentiate them according to defined purposes.
Researchers at the Babraham Institute, University of Cambridge, UK, have developed a new technique to rejuvenate skin cells. The method allowed for about 30 years to rejuvenate cells from a 53-year-old woman in one study.
Although the research is at an early stage, it could bring advances in regenerative medicine, such as the potential for application in other types of cells.
In this Tuesday’s edition (12) of the Medical Correspondentfrom Novo Dia, neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes explained how regenerative medicine works.
“Damaged or aged skin cells from a 53-year-old woman were subjected to laboratory procedures and, through a process of involution, as if it were a way back from the stem cell, which would be the original cell of all the cells of the our body, it was possible to detect alterations compatible with the rejuvenation of 30 years”, he explains.
One of the difficulties encountered by scientists in applying the technique used to produce stem cells is the erasure of cell identity. According to the Babraham Institute, the new method was able to circumvent the problem by interrupting the reprogramming in part of the process.
This allowed the researchers to find the precise balance between reprogramming the cells, making them biologically younger, while still being able to regain their specialized cellular function.
To verify that the cells were rejuvenated, the researchers looked for changes in the characteristics of aging.
“Our understanding of aging at the molecular level has progressed over the past decade, giving rise to techniques that allow researchers to measure age-related biological changes in human cells. We were able to apply this in our experiment to determine the extent of reprogramming achieved by our new method,” explained Diljeet Gill, a postdoctoral fellow at the institute who participated in the study, in a statement.
New perspectives
The research could pave the way for the development of new types of drugs. The method used in the study also had effects on other genes linked to age-related diseases and symptoms, such as the APBA2 gene associated with Alzheimer’s disease and the MAF gene with a role in cataract development.
“Our results represent a major advance in our understanding of cellular reprogramming. We proved that cells can be rejuvenated without losing their function, and that rejuvenation seeks to restore some function to old cells,” Gill said.
According to neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes, the findings have potential for new treatment discoveries for heart and neurological diseases.
“The cardiovascular system, which ends up being the biggest point of impact that humanity has – most people who die have a cardiovascular problem. Even issues related to neurological health, we can imagine Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases being the target of this study”, he concludes.
Source: CNN Brasil
