In Vivo Reprogramming Reverses Vision Loss and Damage in a Mouse Model of Glaucoma

Several research groups and companies are working on in vivo applications of cellular reprogramming. Today's research materials cover recent work from David Sinclair's team showing off the use of reprogramming to produce regeneration of damaged nervous system tissue in the eye and optic nerve. Glaucoma is a condition in which rising pressure in the eyeball progressively harms the retina and optic nerve. Since nerve tissue doesn't regenerate well in mammals, loss of vision is irreversible. This is one of many conditions for which the ability to regenerate nerve tissue would be a great benefit. Since its discovery, reprogramming has been used to produce induced pluripotent stem cells from any other type of cell. That process has been found to reverse age-related changes in epigenetic patterns and mitochondrial function characteristic of cells in old tissues. Introducing the factors capable of reprogramming cells into a living animal may produce effects akin to stem cell therapy by converting a small number of cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, followed by stem cell signaling that beneficially affects tissue health more broadly. Alternatively, many cells may have their epigenetic markers reset to a more youthful state without losing their identity to become induced pluripotent stem cells. Or both. Beyond this, there is certainly the threat of cancer or structural damage to tissue through the conversion of too many cells, and this class of therapy will require care...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs