Researchers find way to potentially reverse and slow aging with new discovery

04/30/2015 - 00:00


By Mitch Leslie -

People with Werner syndrome—a rare disease the symptoms of which mimic premature aging—usually go grey in their 20s, develop cataracts and osteoporosis in their 30s, and die before 60. Now, researchers have for the first time created a key class of versatile stem cells that carry the genetic defect that causes the condition. Their analysis suggests that loosely wrapped DNA underlies the accelerated physical decline of Werner syndrome and promotes aging in the rest of the population.

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Ref:  A Werner syndrome stem cell model unveils heterochromatin alterations as a driver of human aging. Science (2015) | DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa1356