Rejuvenation breakthrough: Scientists reverse 60 years of aging in human cells

Scientists have turned blood cells from an 80-year-old into neural stem cells with a molecular age of less than 20, effectively reversing more than 60 years of cellular aging in the laboratory. The discovery offers a new way to investigate how cells become younger and could help researchers better understand age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Rejuvenation breakthrough: Scientists reverse 60 years of aging in human cells.

Researchers at the University Hospital of Bonn and the University of Bonn achieved this remarkable transformation by reprogramming immature red blood cells into neural stem cells, which can eventually develop into brain cells. During the process, molecular markers associated with aging were effectively reset, making the cells more than 60 years younger at the molecular level. Unlike earlier approaches, the rejuvenation happened gradually, allowing scientists to follow the changes over an extended period.

This slower process could provide important clues about how cellular aging can be reversed and potentially help researchers investigate treatments for diseases associated with aging. The findings were published in the journal Aging Cell. How Scientists Turn Blood Cells Into Brain Stem Cells The human body contains hundreds of specialized cell types, all of which originate from a single fertilized egg and carry essentially the same genetic instructions.