The dream of whole body rejuvenation will become a reality.
New research: discovery of chemicals that reverse aging and trigger cellular function restoration. The research paper is published on 12.07.2023 in the journal "Aging" under the title "Chemically induced reprogramming to reverse cellular aging".
The research was carried out by a team of scientists Jae-Hyun Yang, Christopher A. Petty, Thomas Dixon-McDougall, Maria Vina Lopez, Alexander T. Tyshin, and Alexander T. Petty, Thomas Dixon-McDougall, Maria Vina Lopez, Alexander Tyshkovskiy, Sun Maybury-Lewis, Xiao Tian, Nabilah Ibrahim, Zhili Chen, Patrick T. Griffin, Matthew Arnold, Patrick T. Griffin, Matthew Arr. Patrick T. Griffin, Matthew Arnold, Jien Li, Oswaldo A. Martinez. Oswaldo A. Martinez, Alexander Behn, Ryan Rogers-Hammond, Suzanne Angeli, Vadim N. Gladyshev, and David A. Sinclair. David A. Sinclair from Harvard Medical School, the University of Maine, and MIT.
The team's findings are based on the discovery that expression of specific genes called Yamanaka factors can turn adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This Nobel Prize-winning discovery raised the question of whether it is possible to reverse cellular aging without causing cells to become too young and become malignant.
In a new study, scientists screened for molecules that, in combination, can reverse cellular aging and rejuvenate human cells. They developed high-throughput cell-based assays to distinguish young cells from old and senescent cells, including a transcription-based aging clock, and also performed real-time compartmentalization analysis of nucleocytoplasmic protein (NCC) proteins. In an exciting discovery, the team identified six chemical cocktails that restore NCCs and whole-genome transcript profiles to a youthful state and reverse transcriptome age in less than a week.
"A hallmark of eukaryotic aging is the loss of epigenetic information, a process that can be reversed. We have previously shown that ectopic induction of the Yamanaka factors OCT4, SOX2, and KLF4 (OSK) in mammals can restore youthful DNA methylation patterns, transcript profiles, and tissue function without erasing cellular identity, a process that requires active DNA demethylation. To screen molecules that reverse cellular senescence and rejuvenate human cells without genome alteration, we have developed high-throughput cell-based assays that distinguish young cells from old and senescent cells, including transcription-based senescence clocks and real-time nucleocytoplasmic compartmentalization (NCC) analysis. We identified six chemical cocktails that restore a youthful whole-genome transcript profile and reverse transcriptomic age in less than a week and without compromising cellular identity. Thus, rejuvenation by reversing age can be achieved not only by genetic means but also by chemical means."
Harvard researchers have previously demonstrated that it is indeed possible to reverse cellular aging without uncontrolled cell growth by virally introducing specific Yamanaka genes into cells. Studies of optic nerve, brain tissue, kidney, and muscle tissue have shown promising results: improved vision and increased longevity have been observed in mice, with recent reports of improved vision in monkeys.
The results of this discovery have far-reaching implications, opening the door to regenerative medicine and possibly whole body rejuvenation. By developing a chemical alternative to reversing age through gene therapy, this research could revolutionize the treatment of aging, injury and age-related diseases and opens up the potential to reduce costs and shorten drug development timelines. Following positive results on reversing blindness in monkeys in April 2023, preparations continue for age reversal gene therapy clinical trials in humans.
- Until recently, the best we could do was to slow aging. New discoveries suggest we can now reverse that," said David A. Sinclair, Ph. David A. Sinclair, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Genetics and co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biological Research on Aging at Harvard Medical School, and lead scientist on the project.
- Previously, this process required gene therapy, which limited its widespread use.
The Harvard team envisions a future in which age-related diseases can be treated more effectively, the body can recover from injury, and the dream of whole body rejuvenation becomes a reality.
- This new discovery offers the potential to reverse the aging process with a single pill, with applications ranging from improving vision to effectively treating numerous age-related diseases," Sinclair said.
Alexander Lisovsky. Source: Aging
