Scientists Reverse Aging in Mice Using Cellular Rejuvenation Therapy
The mice appeared to be elderly, but were not. They were about 70 years old. Hidden beneath was a youthful cell clock that had been turned back in the time using a Nobel Prize-winning strategy. This is also the latest wager to find the fountain of Youth, backed up by Silicon Valley’s most powerful anti-aging startups.
The partial cellular reprograming is at the heart of this technique. This technique, which is a form of gene therapy, causes cells to produce four proteins collectively known as the Yamanaka Factors. The factors act as erasers to wipe away a cell’s past genetic information. They can be used to return adult cells, such as skin cells, back into a stem-cell-like state, allowing them the ability transform into any cell type.
It’s not an all-or nothing process. Scientists recently discovered that the factors can be used to rewind genetic history of a cell rather than destroy it completely. If they stop at the correct point, the cell loses its old age and becomes younger, while still retaining its identity. The results sparked a wave in interest to move the therapy from animals to humans. Calico Life Sciences, a Google sister company, and Altos Labs backed by Jeff Bezos were in the race.
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Scientists Used Cellular Rejuvenation Therapy to Rewind Aging in Mice
