Further Exploration of In Vivo Reprogramming in Mice

Researchers are expanding their explorations of cellular reprogramming applied to living animals, delivering Yamanaka factors as a gene therapy. There are in principle ways to balance this sort of approach in order to minimize the conversion of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, and thus the risk of cancer, while maximizing the epigenetic rejuvenation and restoration of mitochondrial function that occurs as an early part of the reprogramming process. Forcing cells in aged tissues to act as though they are present in youthful tissues is expected to produce meaningful benefits to health, and indeed has done so in some animal studies. It cannot fix issues related to metabolic waste that cannot be cleared effectively by even a young physiology, or issues related to stochastic DNA damage, but the hope is that the issues of aging that reprogramming can effectively address will make this a useful approach to the treatment of aging as a medical condition. In 2016, researchers reported for the first time that they could use the Yamanaka factors to counter the signs of aging and increase life span in mice with a premature aging disease. More recently, the team found that, even in young mice, the Yamanaka factors can accelerate muscle regeneration. Following these initial observations, other scientists have used the same approach to improve the function of other tissues like the heart, brain, and optic nerve, which is involved in vision. In the new...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs