Whether we like it or not, our body gradually loses its ability to produce blood as we age, which is why immunodeficiencies, leukemias and other blood diseases become more likely with age. Meanwhile, scientists may have found a way to turn back time. They found a way to rejuvenate blood by reprogramming the stem cells that make it. The team of researchers has learned how to effectively "nullify" stem cells, turning them into pluripotent cells that can generate cells of any type. When they form blood stem cells again, it is as if they were completely new.
The technique has so far been tested only in mice, but it has great prospects if it shows its effectiveness in humans. Rejuvenating enough cells will help protect the body from many blood diseases and improve overall health in general. And even if no practical results are obtained, this discovery sheds light on how the hematopoietic system works. The data obtained show that blood changes associated with aging are not related to mutations - if this were so, then damage would be observed after "zeroing" the cells. Instead, it seems to play a role of epigenetics (changes in gene expression).
Sergey Lukavsky