Can Stem Cells Reverse Aging? With Dr. David Agus | Big Think

Can Stem Cells Reverse Aging? With Dr. David Agus
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In 2010, Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo first mapped the Neanderthal genome. He successfully extracted and sequenced Neanderthal DNA, opening up an entirely new field of genetic research. Evolving on that work, a team lead by Grayson Camp at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Opthalmology in Basel, Switzerland has grown Neanderthal DNA-containing brain tissue for the first time.

The team used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), which are normally derived from human skin or blood cells. Stem cells are biological gold. By reprogramming these cells back to an embryonic-like state, researchers can develop a wide range of human cells for therapeutic purposes. This is exactly what Camp hopes this research on the Neanderthal genome will help accomplish.

Genetic codes reveal secrets around biological development and susceptibility to disease. Since stem cells can resemble brain, stomach, skin, kidney, and intestinal (among others) human tissues, their range of utility is endless. Researchers are hopeful that stem cells will help combat the ravages of diabetes, leukemia, and neurological disorders, among numerous other diseases.

As the team writes, Neanderthal DNA provides a wealth of genetic resources, including "skin and hair color, immune response, lipid metabolism, skull shape, bone morphology, blood coagulation, sleep patterns, and mood disorders."
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Analyzing genome sequences from 173 mostly European participants, they were able to identity Neanderthal haplotypes (an inherited group of genes from a single parent). Alleles (gene variants) were identified for digestive function, immune response, and skin color. Camp believes this research is beneficial for studying human developmental processes.

After identifying Neanderthal genes, the team grew brain organoids, 3D blobs of brain tissue barely a few millimeters in size. Organoids are diverse resources in laboratory settings, especially in drug treatment research. Cancer treatment protocols are often tested on these blobs, for example.

While his team's work is exciting, Camp warns that this is no science fiction experiment.

"These are human cells, they're not Neanderthal cells but human cells that have Neanderthal DNA naturally inside them. This is totally different to Jurassic Park. It's more about studying the mechanism than try to recreate something."

While these culture systems are not yet optimal, the process has begun. Camp is interested in studying other Homo ancestors, such as Denisovan DNA. The further we dial back the clock, the better we understand our origins. If that path leads to treatments or cures for some of humanity's most prolific killers, the backpedaling will be worth it.

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Stay in touch with Derek on Twitter, Facebook and Substack. His next book is "Hero's Dose: The Case For Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy."

[primavera]

"Quality years till the end." I'm in.

[LordSlag]

No. Quality Years Forever! Don't limit your reach unnecessarily.

[DJaquithFL]

Hey I don't know about you, but I'd love to live till 450 or older and with full vitality!

[TXN]

Anyone else look back at their youth and feel extremely lucky to be alive?

[JediNiyte]

Or how about "quality years without an end"?  I'm down.  Y'all down?

[mfamen]

as he mention in the end, i dont want to live longer but i just want have quality years

[elilastnamington]

Why does he say “not so we can live till we’re 150” like that would be a bad thing?

Why would anyone have a problem with being in a youthful body for that long?

[Biddybalboa]

It's like an oil change for humans

[ShawnRavenfire]

The guy who is proposing a way to stop *aging us* is named "age-us."

[EugeneKhutoryansky]

A very cruel experiment from the young rat's perspective.

[joshski]

Life stops becoming beautiful the minute it stops becoming finite. As someone in a wheelchair I'm obviously selfishly pro stem cell research but not so we can live forever, but so we can live as comfortably as possible while we are here.

[pedroperez]

no i want to live for atleast 500 years.

[KenNBerryMD]

Radical life extension won't just be for the rich. For companies to maximize profit they have to make it cheap enough to sell to as many people as possible. If they set the price too high then they lose the potential to sell at a lower price to a higher quantity of people. Would you rather sell 1000 watches for $10, 000 or millions of watches for $500? $500 of course because if you sell at $10, 000 you'd only make 10 million compared to 500 million that you could have made by using a lower pricing strategy. Also cell phones were once outrageously expensive and now nearly everyone has one.

[Soulcatcher]

Everyone intrested in fighting aging please visit SENS webpage.

[jennifercuddy]

I use Calecim red deer stem cell serum and it’s all I need. I love it. I have even used it on my gums once and the mild pain ceased within a day completely.

[irshadkhan-fqth]

I wnat to live for 500 years just to see how new science knowledge will help humanity solve all their problems.

[jTech]

regarding cancer, that's pretty bananas. hope the science for it pans out and gets the research funding needed

[shway]

Why not keep living to 1000? Today the norm is 70-80, it wasn't always that way. Norms can be changed.

[petercouldwell]

I have been researching reversing aging for a long time but only come up with a process to resculpting the body and slowing down ageing 👍💯

[Waywardpaladin]

In rats where they've knocked out the ability to put their stem cells offline, they die rapidly of cancer. So there is a benefit to being able to shut down stem cells. However, what is proposed here is to selectively wake them up for specific injuries which I imagine will lessen the chance of one of the stem cells going cancerous and not being caught.