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Blood Cells From an 80-Year-Old Transformed into Young Brain Cells
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- Scientists have developed a method to directly convert blood cell progenitors from an elderly donor into neural stem cells, bypassing the intermediate pluripotent stem cell stage while maintaining a youthful molecular profile.
- This technique resets the cells' epigenetic age to under 20 years, resulting in brain cells that behave like young cells, according to the research led by the University of Bonn.
- Unlike previous methods, the gradual rejuvenation process occurs over 100 days, enabling researchers to monitor and study the factors influencing cellular aging in detail.
- Understanding the molecular aging of brain cells through this model may provide insights into age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, with age being the primary risk factor.
