Stem Cell Technology and Its Role In Rejuvenating Human Cells
According to a recent, groundbreaking study by Stanford Medical School, stem cell technology can be successfully used to reverse the aging process in human cells. This development in regenerative medicine is considered by numerous scientists in the field to be paving the path for rebooting entire tissues in the future.
Stem cells are human cells that can develop into a variety of different cell types, such as muscle or brain cells. During the study, researchers exposed older stem cells to a panel of proteins called “Yamanaka factors”. After the cells were induced to express these proteins, the scientists observed that some of the molecular hallmarks of aging were being “rewinded”. Specifically, as part of the process, the cells are exposed to RNA messages that “order” the production of Yamanaka proteins. Eventually, these proteins will see the cell return to its embryonic state, by resetting its DNA and emptying it of molecular tags accumulated due to age. This development is of particular significance, since these cells’ ability to transform into almost any type of cell in the body, can potentially lead to new drug discoveries. According to Vittorio Sebastiano, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the Woods Family Faculty Scholar in Pediatric Translational Medicine, “By tightly controlling the duration of the exposure to these protein factors, we can promote rejuvenation in multiple human cell types.”
Research conducted by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in 2016 indicated that this process was able to extend mice’s life span by roughly 20%, yet it remained unclear whether it could have a similar effect on human cells. That is when the research team, through the use of message RNA, devised a way to express reprogramming factors in human skin and blood vessel cells that they obtained from elderly people. Afterwards, they compared their gene patterns with those of young adults, establishing that they shared a number of similarities.
After the success of their findings, the scientists are now attempting to optimize the panel of the reprogramming proteins needed. Their goal is to treat cells or even tissues without having to remove them from the body. “Although much more work needs to be done, we are hopeful that we may one day have the opportunity to reboot entire tissues,” Sebastiano said.
References
Conger/News Center, K. (2020, March 24). Old human cells rejuvenated with stem cell technology. Retrieved April 11, 2020, from http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/03/old-human-cells-rejuvenated-with-stem-cell-technology.html
Stanford Medicine. (2020, March 24). Old human cells rejuvenated with stem cell technology. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 10, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200324090007.htm
