Throw out all those nip-and-tuck procedures, cosmetic surgery and all those anti-ageing cosmetics because scientists have made the ultimate breakthrough. A new study by scientists at Caltech and UCLA has found how to replace ageing cells in our body.
These scientists have found a way to manipulate genes so that they can break down and remove the mutated DNA and regenerate cells. This procedure called autophagy ('self-eating') allows for healthy cells to grow and the dysfunctional ones to be removed. Autophagy is important because it won the Nobel Prize in 2016 and is clearly the future.
As mutant or ageing DNA (mtDNA) accumulates, it contributes to ageing and even diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Mutant DNA has also been found to be a cause in conditions like autism in kids. Daily Mail quoted Bruce Hay, Caltech professor of biology and biological engineering, as saying, "We know that increased rates of mtDNA mutation cause premature ageing. This, coupled with the fact that mutant mtDNA accumulates in key tissues such as neurons and muscle that lose function as we age, suggests that if we could reduce the amount of mutant mtDNA, we could slow or reverse important aspects of ageing."
Professor Hay said, "Our goal is to create a future in which we can periodically undergo a cellular housecleaning to remove damaged mtDNA from the brain, muscle, and other tissues. This will help us maintain our intellectual abilities, mobility, and support healthy ageing more generally."
The experiment conducted on fruit flies has yielded good results and it could now be the path to stop ageing in humans.
