Cell Reprogramming via RNA Therapies

Gene therapies delivering mRNA produce a temporary production of proteins. An RNA molecule acts as a blueprint for a ribosome to assemble many copies of a specific protein, but this doesn't last long, and a few days of protein expression from a single treatment is a reasonable expectation in practice. This make RNA therapies suitable to produce partial reprogramming in an animal or patient. The Yamanaka factors are delivered for a long enough period of time to rejuvenate epigenetic patterns and restore mitochondrial function, but (hopefully) not long enough to convert any meaningful number of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells. The former outcome is desirable, while the latter outcome would damage tissue function and create the risk of cancer. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) reprogrammed from replicative senescing or centennial cells had restored the telomere and mitochondrial functions with a gene expression profile similar to embryonic stem cells (ESCs). This and other avenues of research confirm that cellular age can be reversed. These seminal results led the scientific community to ask whether cellular rejuvenation due to reprogramming could take place in vivo. To answer this question, researchers generated transgenic mouse models, expressing Yamanaka factors (OSKM) under the control of doxycycline. Strikingly, they observed the emergence of teratomas in several organs, thus demonstrating the feasibility of in vivo reprogramming. Howe...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs