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A team of scientists restored the sight of aged mice by effectively reversing the aging process at the molecular level.
The Harvard Medical School cohort of researchers removed thousands of chemical markers that accumulate over time in the DNA of mice, essentially resetting their cells to a younger state. Soon after, the mice with age-related vision loss or nerve damage to the retina regained their ability to see, Nature reports.
While there is no indication yet that the same technique will work on people, it is a striking clue that genetic deception may reverse at least some of the consequences of natural biological aging.
They don’t quite understand what the cellular mechanics that give these cells the ability to maintain a younger state means. But the study, published Wednesday in the academic journal Nature, seems to demonstrate that it is possible to “reverse” aging in at least some limited areas.
Specifically, the team exploited and reversed specific epigenetic changes – changes in mouse gene expression rather than the genes themselves – that have occurred over time.
“We left with a question: if epigenetic changes are a driver of aging, can you reset the epigenome?” David Sinclair, study co-author and Harvard Medical School geneticist, said: Nature. “Can you reverse the clock?”
Most shocking is that mice who lost their sight due to nerve damage were able to germinate new nerves after treatment – something mammals usually lose very early in life.
“It was like a jellyfish pushing through the site of the injury,” study co-author Yuancheng Lu said. Nature. “It was breathtaking.”
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