Ageing research hits the headlines
UK SPINE welcomes the recent Babraham Institute announcement that they have successfully rejuvenated skin cells in the lab. This discovery, and the associated press coverage, is an exciting advancement in the development of treatments that can prevent and treat age-related conditions.
Researchers at the Babraham Institute published their discovery, demonstrating that cell reprogramming can be applied to reverse the tissue dysfunction and disease associated with ageing, in eLife on Friday 8th April 2022.
Using the first maturation phase transient reprogramming (MPTR) method, the research team have shown that skin cells from middle age donors can be induced to temporarily lose and then reacquire their fibroblast identity, leading to the rejuvenation of cells by around 30 years.
Clearly, as with many innovations to treatment for age-related processes, the application of this technology outside of the laboratory setting and in human patients is a long way off. Whilst it is important to stay realistic and not add to the hype and over-promise of these types of advancements, the approach, of targeting the biology of ageing to treat chronic age-related conditions, is not far from producing treatments which could have an impact.
With this in mind, and the potential for a negative perception of these types of treatments, the public narrative, spurred by the wide press coverage of the Babraham discovery, is an important step in progressing the discussion.
According to the Office of National Statistics, by 2050 1 in 4 people living in the UK with be aged 65 or over (ONS 2020). Added to the growing ageing population, is the prevalence of multiple long term chronic conditions. In 2018, a study predicted that by 2035 67.8% of over 65s will be living with multiple conditions, rising to 90.5% for those over 85.
These figures indicate that many of us will suffer a larger proportion of our lives in poor health. It is this period that UK SPINE is hoping to impact, with the scientific research we support through our network. By targeting the biology of ageing to treat multiple long term conditions associated with ageing, we hope to contribute to reducing the discrepancy between healthspan (the number of healthy life years) and lifespan. We look forward to seeing how the Babraham Instititute research progresses.