One of the most interesting areas of longevity research involves cellular reprogramming—the possibility of making old cells behave more like young cells without changing their basic identity. As cells age, their DNA does not simply accumulate damage; changes also occur in the epigenome, the chemical control system that helps determine which genes are switched on and off.
Researchers are studying whether some of these age-related instructions can essentially be reset. One approach, known as partial epigenetic reprogramming, uses some of the genes associated with the Yamanaka factors, which can normally return mature cells toward a stem-cell state. Instead of completely resetting a cell, scientists hope to turn back its biological clock just far enough to restore more youthful patterns of gene activity while keeping a skin cell a skin cell, for example.
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