Aging Reversed in 100-Year-Old's Cells

Researchers think discovery raises potential of creating organs for the elderly without using stem cells.

French scientists have managed to turn the clock back on cells taken from people as old as 100, transforming the cells into the kind that would be found in embryos. This is the first time that such a procedure has been done on people so old, leading the researchers to conclude that such advances could soon mean that stem cells won't have to be taken from discarded embryos to help regenerate senior's organs. This process involves taking adult cells and turning them into "pluriponent stem cells," which are almost identical to embryonic stem cells – except for where they came from. To do this, the team added "transcription factors", or proteins that turn on or off receptors in cells, to reset the aging process of the cell. Once reset, the cells behaved much like stem cells, meaning that they had yet to form the characteristics of any specific organs. Jean-Marc Lemaitre, the biologist who led the project, heralded his findings as a "new paradigm for cell rejuvenation," ideally paving the way for some of us to develop new livers.