Will we soon be able to regain the sight of our 20 years thanks to the “anti-aging” genes?

Is the end of eye aging soon? According to Futura Sciences, the researchers succeeded in altering the signs of aging in the genome of mice. Thanks to the use of three genes, the mice have thus regained the visual acuity of their youth. Scientists said Wednesday December 2 that they did restored vision in mice using a treatment that returns the cells to a younger state. So one day it might help cure glaucoma and other diseases in the elderly. Interesting ways to imagine a genetic “reversal” of aging.

The mice with glaucoma regained visual acuity

According to the study published December 2 in Nature, the team of scientists at Harvard University School of Medicine that is running this experiment is successfully reprogrammed neurons in mouse eyes so they can regain their sight. Thanks to a blend of three genes, they managed to limit the degeneration of neurons and accelerate their regeneration. Mice with glaucoma saw their visual acuity return to normal.

“In these three cycles, the the cells appear to have reacted to reprogramming factors : have adapted the expression of their genes a regain a youthful state“, deciphered molecular biologist David Sinclair of Harvard School of Medicine, who led the study. According to Futura Sciences, the principle chosen by the scientists at Harvard University is” not to rejuvenate cells by playing on their identity, or on their differentiation, but well by modifying their epigenetic markers “.

This study suggests it the characteristics of aging reside in the “epigenome”, ie the information “layers” complementary to genes that define how the latter will be used or not. According to Science, “epigenetic factors affect our metabolism, our susceptibility to various diseases, and even how emotional trauma is passed on from generation to generation.”

Cancer Risks?

According to Maximina Yun, a specialist in regenerative biology at the Dresden University of Technology, who was not involved in this work, “the idea that aging cells retain a memory of the epigenome of their youth is very provocative.” He believes the new mouse study “supports this idea, but doesn’t prove it.” Furthermore, according to Science, cell reprogramming to return them to a “previous” state carries the risk of causing uncontrolled cell growth and, with it, cancer.