Lab Reverses 60 Years of Cellular Aging in Human Cells — SkimNews
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- University Hospital Bonn researchers reprogrammed blood cells from an 80-year-old into neural stem cells with epigenetic-clock molecular age under 20, reversing more than 60 years of cellular aging.
- The direct reprogramming method uses transcription factors to convert immature red blood cell precursors into neural stem cells, skipping the pluripotent stem cell stage and spreading rejuvenation across more than 100 days.
- Epigenetic clock measurements detected an approximate 60-year drop in molecular age after 50 days, with Prof. Oliver Brüstle stating the rejuvenated cells "actually behave like young cells."
- Brüstle's earlier mouse transplant experiments showed nerve cells made through this direct method connected with existing neurons in mouse brains.
- The study was published in the journal Aging Cell and conducted with RWTH Aachen University, supported by EU Horizon 2020, the German Research Foundation, and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space.
- Brüstle framed the gradual 100-day rejuvenation as "ideal as an experimental model" for testing substances that accelerate or slow aging, and tied the work to Alzheimer's research, noting "age is the most important risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's."
Why it matters: The 100-day gradual reversal gives researchers an observable window into cellular aging that earlier two-step reprogramming methods didn't allow — cells reset too quickly to study in transit. That makes it a controllable live model for testing what speeds up or slows down brain aging, which is the central unsolved variable behind Alzheimer's.
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