Babraham Institute rejuvenates 53-year-old skin cells

Babraham Institute researchers said in April 2022 that they had partly reversed aging markers in human skin cells from a 53-year-old donor, making the cells resemble those of a 23-year-old by molecular measures. The work used “transient reprogramming,” a shortened version of the cell-resetting process behind induced pluripotent stem cells, and was published in eLife. The team said the cells kept their identity as skin cells rather than being fully reset into stem cells. The experiments were done in vitro, in lab-grown fibroblasts, not in people. ### How did the researchers make older skin cells look younger? The Babraham team used a method it called maturation phase transient reprogramming, or MPTR, to expose human fibroblasts to reprogramming factors for 13 days. Standard reprogramming usually continues until cells lose their original identity and become pluripotent stem cells, but the Babraham group stopped the process before that point. The paper said this timing aimed to capture age reversal while preserving cell type. (babraham.ac.uk) The eLife study said the treated cells were assessed with multiple aging markers, including transcriptomic and epigenetic clocks. By those measures, the cells showed a substantial reduction in biological age. The Babraham Institute said the shift was about 30 years, which is the source of the “53 to 23” shorthand now circulating online. (elifesciences.org) ### What exactly got younger in the experiment? The 2022 paper said the rejuvenation showed up in gene-expression patterns and DNA methylation signatures associated with age. The authors reported that transiently reprogrammed fibroblasts more closely resembled younger cells than untreated older cells across several molecular readouts. The Babraham Institute also said the cells showed functional changes, not only molecular ones. (babraham.ac.uk) In experiments designed to mimic a wound, treated fibroblasts moved into the gap faster than untreated older cells. The institute said the cells also produced more collagen-related markers, a result consistent with more youthful fibroblast behavior. (elifesciences.org) ### Did the cells become stem cells or stay as skin cells? The eLife paper said the cells retained fibroblast identity after the shortened reprogramming process. That point matters because full reprogramming erases a cell’s specialized role, while this approach was designed to rewind age-related features without wiping cellular identity. The Babraham Institute described that as separating rejuvenation from dedifferentiation. (babraham.ac.uk) Wolf Reik, a senior author on the work, said in the institute release that the results showed it was possible to “uncouple” aspects of aging from cell identity. The release presented that as a proof of principle for regenerative medicine research rather than a treatment ready for use. ### Does this mean human skin was made younger? (babraham.ac.uk) The experiment involved isolated human skin cells in dishes, not skin tissue rejuvenated inside a person. The Babraham Institute said the findings were at an early stage and could eventually inform regenerative medicine, including work on healing and age-related decline, but it did not present the study as a clinical therapy. (babraham.ac.uk) The broader field has also flagged safety concerns around reprogramming. Related work in the area has focused on whether transient expression can improve aging features without increasing risks tied to loss of identity or tumor formation, which is one reason researchers test these methods first in cells rather than patients. ### Why is this story resurfacing now? Science-focused social accounts recirculated the 2022 findings this week, presenting the result as a fresh breakthrough. (babraham.ac.uk) The underlying study, however, dates to April 2022, and the primary sources remain the Babraham Institute announcement and the eLife paper by Diljeet Gill and colleagues. Readers looking for the original data should start there. (elifesciences.org)