Simulators offer a new method to reverse aging cells
Modeling molecular interactions has identified an enzyme which could be targeted in order to reverse the natural aging process known as cellular senescence. The results were confirmed in laboratory experiments using skin cells and skin-equivalent tissues and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Our research will allow a new generation to perceive aging as a reversible phenomenon, says Professor Kwang Hyun Cho of Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He led the research along with colleagues from KAIST and Amorepacific Corporation.
The cells respond to various factors such as oxidative damage, DNA damage and the shortening of telomeres at the end of chromosomes by exiting the cell cycle in a stable, persistent manner. Cellular senescence is a process that prevents damaged cells to proliferate and turn into cancerous cells. It is also a normal process that causes aging and age related diseases. Recent research has revealed that cellular senescence is reversible. The laboratory methods used so far can also inhibit tissue regeneration and trigger malignant transformations.
Source:
https://phys.org/news/2020-11-simulations-reverse-cell-aging.html
