Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — British scientists announced that they have succeeded in rejuvenating skin cells in a 53-year-old woman, to match the age of 30-year-olds, which is likely to pave the way for the treatment of diseases associated with aging in the future.
The study was peer-reviewed and published in the scientific journal eLife, Friday. It was developed by scientists from the Abraham Institute at the University of Cambridge in England, which is still in its early stages, according to a media statement on Friday.
Not only did the rejuvenating cells appear younger, but they were faster in treating an artificial wound than older cells, as if at the age of 23, “and this is a promising indication that one day this study will be used to produce cells that are more effective in treating wounds.”
According to the statement, this stem cell-based mechanism was called “reprogramming”. The scientists were able to reset the cells to zero by converting skin cells back into stem cells. In order to stop the cells from losing function, the scientists turned off the reprogramming mechanism after a few days, which allowed the cells to maintain their functional property, while becoming biologically younger.
“The future possibilities for our work are very exciting,” postdoctoral researcher and co-author Dr. Dilgit Gill told CNN.
“With our methodology, we may be able to take cells from patients, regenerate them, and then transplant them back to treat diseases. Currently, our work is focused on skin cells, which help us treat cuts, burns, and ulcers. We are excited to see if our methodology works.” On other cell types in the future, such as heart, liver and brain cells, which broadens the scope for potential applications.”
His team is also interested in learning more about the mechanisms behind rejuvenation. “With a better understanding of this, perhaps we will be able to promote rejuvenation without stem cell reprogramming at all,” he said.
Dr. Gill noted that this methodology may take time before it can be applied clinically to develop treatments.
He added, “As for the main drawbacks, we need to make sure that our methodology is very safe. We use Yamanaka factors, to perform transient reprogramming, which can promote the formation of cancer cells when turned on in the wrong context. In our methodology, we turn on these factors.” For a limited period of time, which should help avoid this problem, however, we need to examine the cells carefully for longer periods of time after this is applied to ensure that their condition is stable and safe.”
Gill concluded, “Overall, our research is a very exciting start, with great potential for treating diseases associated with ageing.”