Scientists turn normal cells into stem cells
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the United States have developed a method that causes adult blood cells to regress to the embryonic stage to become stem cells.
According to a report published by Medical Xpress, the new technique would make normal human cells rejuvenate, returning to the state they were when they were embryos only 6 days old. The method, moreover, would not only become the new source of youth, but a safe option for treating countless incurable diseases such as heart problems, paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries, and cancer.
Time Machine
To achieve this true "miracle, " the researchers used plasmids, which are circular DNA molecules commonly found in eukaryotic bacteria and organisms. These molecules have the ability to reproduce independently of chromosomal DNA, disappearing once they have completed their function.
The researchers used blood cells extracted from patients' spinal cord, opening small holes in the membranes of these cells with the use of electrical impulses. Then, through these small holes, the researchers introduced plasmids loaded with four different genes, programmed to make cells regress to their primitive state.
After the plasmids completed their “missions, ” the researchers cultivated these cells with previously stimulated bone marrow cells that after 14 days turned into embryonic stem cells.
Stem Cell Autotransplantation
In fact, this revolutionary method allows stem cell autotransplantation without the need to use cells extracted from human embryos and umbilical cords, nor to use methods that are currently considered controversial and even banned in many countries, such as some cases. couples who raise new children to heal other sick family members.
And hypothetically, this new technique would allow us to fix any part of our body and cure all kinds of diseases as needed by using our own cells for that.
Sources: Johns Hopkins University, Medical Xpress and PLoS ONE
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