2024-02-26 14:08:15
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Stem cell researcher. © IMAGO/Elmar Gubisch
Researchers have discovered ways to make us younger once more.
Is aging inevitable? There is no alternative to death, say longevity researchers. Of course, we now know that a lot of exercise, little consumption of meat, less food at all and cold temperatures can significantly prolong life. Genes aren’t even responsible for this. But they still play a role. But even on this front there is news from the happy science of biotechnology.
Because the lever can now also be applied here, the Yamanaka cocktail is responsible for this. Yes, this name will send a pleasant shiver down the spine of those who know stem cell researchers. The Japanese Shinya Yamanaka is one of the big names in this field. A genius, say people close to him. He received the Nobel Prize in 2012 for a completely novel approach that enabled the reprogramming of cells.
He had just mixed his special cocktail for this. He – or rather his team – had administered a mixture of four molecules, a cocktail, to an ordinary cell. And, miraculously, nature’s clock ran backwards. A completely normal skin cell became the original cell once more, which can develop into all cell types. It has the same potential as embryonic stem cells, i.e. cells that occur in the embryonic stage and are still completely unspecialized. That was a scientific hammer. No question.
While this all took place in the field of basic research, there are now indications, indeed more than that, for a possible rejuvenation of us living beings. Apparently the biological clock can generally be turned back at least somewhat. A team led by the Spanish biochemist Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte has shown this. It used the Yamanaka cocktail in question. The cocktail was injected into the cells of two-year-old mice. The result was that their epigenetic pattern changed, the researchers report. It didn’t become “baby cells”. Nevertheless, some organs had the pattern of young cells. So what does that mean for us? Well, a young Faust certainly doesn’t become an old scholar when his cells take a hearty sip of Yamanaka’s rejuvenating potion.
But things might work a little better once more. David Sinclair of Harvard University is already a thorn in the side of aging. And that’s exactly where he achieved a small sensation: Older mice saw better once more following being injected with Yamanaka’s cocktail.
And what works with mice might – wink, wink – also apply to humans. Yes, why not?
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