Gene editing to reverse aging? Scientists in Singapore: Reprogramming senescent cells can extend lifespan by 31%
If genes can be re-edited like a program, then our life can also run forever like a program? As one of the important research directions in the field of life sciences, gene editing has always been regarded by scientists as a potential tool to reverse aging. From winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012, to the Chinese Academy of Sciences' development of rapid and controllable "cocktail" cell editing to cultivate young human cells; the Cambridge laboratory reversed the skin cells of 53-year-olds to 23-year-olds through transient gene editing. The explosion of results has greatly increased the confidence of the academic community. A recent study from Yale University has rekindled hope in people's hearts.
A study published in the authoritative scientific journal "bioRxiv" pointed out that Yale University and researchers from the National University of Singapore have developed an upgraded version of "transient reprogramming" technology based on the Nobel Prize-winning "cell reprogramming" technology. It successfully extended the lifespan of the organism by 31.6%.
Cell reprogramming combined with cell depletion, prolonging life by 31.6%
Traditional cell reprogramming techniques have certain flaws. During the process of reversing cells, cell functions and properties are lost, and there is a risk of canceration. Researchers in Singapore have solved a series of problems brought about by traditional reprogramming technology through transient reprogramming technology, making cells young without returning to a stem cell state, and not only has great potential in the field of anti-aging to be discovered, but also is expected to Treat age-related diseases.
The researchers chose fruit flies, which are genetically highly similar to humans, as experimental subjects. Gene editing of intestinal cells was achieved by introducing the "Yamaka factor". On this basis, the researchers also used the method of eliminating aging cells to eliminate aging cells by interfering with proteins in the body. Although the use of the two alone improves intestinal cells, it accelerates the cell renewal cycle and has the risk of stem cell exhaustion, and the combination of the two improves this problem to a certain extent.
After optimizing the experimental protocol, the researchers performed multiple transient reprogramming and depletion of senescent cells. The results showed that the mortality rate of the experimental subjects decreased and the length of life was increased. The combination of the two had the effect of prolonging the life by 31.6%.
The anti-aging field under the blessing of capital is developing rapidly
Rewriting lifespan through cell reprogramming technology is not new in the capital world. Bezos, the former richest man in the world, has invested hundreds of millions in alto labs, a biotechnology company whose main research is cell reprogramming. Not long ago, they also released experimental results, "gene editing" directly in the organism, and their senescent cells successfully achieved reverse growth after 7 months.
The researchers are now exploring the safety factor of the study method, and have determined whether it could one day be used to delay aging in other mammals, including humans. The wealthy who have entered the middle and old age have long been restless, hoping to rewrite the cell aging process through the "oral stem cell" technology Celery. In the experiment, Professor Sinclair of Harvard University supplemented the 65-year-old with this substance for 3 consecutive months, and the results of the test subjects, including the cell vitality indicator mitochondria, returned to a younger level. However, what is also criticized as "genetic programming" is that Celery is also criticized by high-net-worth groups such as Qidong for its high price. "One bottle is equivalent to one month's salary of ordinary migrant workers! This is not something ordinary people can imagine. of."
In addition, there is no shortage of capital behind many anti-aging researches. And many scientific researches have been turned into results. Li Ka-shing, the richest man in the real estate industry in the world, once invested 30 million in the US Bio-Anti-aging Company to develop related technical products. Although the effect is far less than that of Celeron, Li said with emotion that "the body is back to 20 years old" after taking it.
In the context of an aging society, anti-aging scientific research is increasingly valued
The Japan Times, Japan's most influential English-language newspaper, reprinted a review article titled "Aging is the Next Global Economic Threat" by Bloomberg columnist Noah Smith, a finance professor at Stony Brook University, which analyzes aging from various perspectives. a series of problems brought about by The article points out: Society has never experienced long-term sustained aging. Countries need to continue to actively seek solutions.
In addition to epigenetic reprogramming, finding ways to resist aging in different ways seems to have become a consensus among the rich, including research on NAD+ precursors that have produced several Nobel Prizes, research on calorie restriction across the century, and more , freezing and other extreme methods, either way seek to prolong a healthy lifespan. The prolongation of life span not only involves individual genetic factors, but also is closely related to the development of civilization and medical technology. The existence of human beings is only a moment in the history of the earth, but genes can be passed down from generation to generation. Whether it is possible to extend the length of life through cell compilation remains to be considered.