British scientists rejuvenated the skin cells of a 53-year-old woman. They are the counterpart of the cells of a 23-year-old, reports the BBC. Researchers hope that a similar process could be effective for other tissues as well, which could eventually lead to the development of new treatments.
- Scientists from Cambridge rejuvenated skin cells by 30 years, thanks to which in the future it may be possible to develop an effective remedy for burns and hard-to-heal wounds
- The method used by Wolf Reik’s team also gives hope for its application in the treatment of other tissues, which would allow, among others, fight with neurological disorders
- The technique used by the British is not new – it is based on methods that were used years ago by scientists who created the first sheep clone – the famous Dolly
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The leader of the team who managed to rejuvenate skin cells by 30 years, prof. Wolf Reik from the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, in an interview with BBC News, admitted that his research is aimed at helping people age healthier. The scientist emphasized that this is a breakthrough.
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One of the first may be the development of drugs that would accelerate the healing and rejuvenation of the skin in the elderly who, for example, suffered from burns. Scientists have already carried out the first experiments in which they proved that under conditions simulating a wound, rejuvenated cells move faster.
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The researchers used the technique used to clone Dolly the sheep
While the team’s work is at an early stage, it is based on the techniques used to clone the famous Dolly the sheep, which was born over 25 years ago. Dolly was created as a result of the work of scientists at the Plant Institute near Edinburgh, who transformed a mammary gland cell from a sheep into an embryo.
Importantly, the goal of the researchers from the Plant Institute was not to create a clone, but to develop a technique for creating the so-called human embryonic stem cells that could be grown on muscle, cartilage or nerve cells and thus obtain material to replace “worn” parts of the body.
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The technique used at the Plant Institute in 2006 was simplified by scientists at Kyoto University and named IPS. The new method involved adding chemicals to adult cells in a process that took about 50 days, which resulted in genetic changes that turned the cells into stem cells. However, the use of stem cells in the treatment of disease is still very limited.
The team led by Wolf Reik used the IPS method in their groundbreaking study, but shortened the time of the chemical bath from 50 to approx. 12 days. To the scientists’ surprise, the cells did not turn into embryonic stem cells after this time, but rejuvenated themselves and acted as if they had come from a 23-year-old donor. Before the Wolf Reik technique is put into use, however, it must be modified as the IPS method increases the risk of cancer.
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Once a completely safe method has been developed, the next step will be to see if it can be used for tissues other than skin. This could bring a real revolution not only in the treatment but also in vaccinating people.
If similar approaches or new therapies could rejuvenate the immune cells that we know become less sensitive with age, it may be possible in the future to increase people’s response to vaccination as well as their ability to fight infection, Prof. Melanie Welham, chair of the Biotechnology and Life Sciences Council, which previously co-funded the research that resulted in the creation of the Dolly the Sheep.
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Will it ever be possible to create an “elixir of youth” or an anti-aging pill? Wold Reik believes that an affirmative answer to this question would be an abuse, but the research he led proved that the pancreas also showed signs of rejuvenation, which bodes well in the fight against diabetes.
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