Scientists successfully reverse aging

In a highly unprecedented feat, scientists successfully reversed the ageing process in living animals using cellular reprogramming, enabling mice with a sort of prematurity to live 30 percent longer than others in the study.

The technique employs the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which enabled the scientists to reprogram skin cells to a base, embryonic-esque state. From there onwards, iPSCs can transmute into other types of cells in the body; also proving the possibility that reprogramming cells can also invigorate living creatures, in addition to back tracking the process of aging in cells.

Researcher Pradeep Reddy, from the Salk institute for biological studies says, In other studies scientists have completely reprogrammed cells all the way back to stem-cell-like state. But we show, for the first time, that by expressing these factors for a short duration, you can maintain the cells identity while reversing age-associated hallmarks.

Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka first invented the iPSC technique in 2006, when he learnt that differentiated cells could be wound back to embryonic like stem cells by forcefully inducing the expression of four genes now known as the Yamanaka factors.

However, while reprogramming cells to such an embryonic-like state sounds like it might make organisms younger, it also introduces dangerous complications, often resulting in cancerous growths or organ failure from adult cells essentially losing their identity.

"In iPS cells you reset the ageing clock and go back to zero. Going back to zero, to an embryonic state, is probably not what you want, so you ask: where do you want to go back to?"

There comes in the resolve in the form of Pluripotency which entails inducing the genes for two to four days ensuring the cells retain its identity or differentiation becoming rather a younger version of themselves.