A group of scientists at the Babraham Institute in the UK have succeeded in modifying the skin cells of a 53-year-old woman to make them behave as if they were 23 years old, i.e. 30 years younger. The findings may serve to impede the progression of the disease.çIt is a good way to prevent degenerative diseases. 

The researchers have confirmed the fact that aging can be delayed by three decades, although it is inevitable.

After the intervention on the patient, the already rejuvenated cells showed much better behavior in several aspects, among them being better at wound healing processes, since they produce more collagen - a complex protide that the body produces in less quantity as it ages, but that plays an important role in the firmness and elasticity of the skin, cartilage, and joints.

In their test, the scientists simulated a wound on the skin and exposed the older cells to a mixture of chemicals that were able to reprogram them to become younger again, behaving as such, but without the original cell being eliminated. And they needed only 13 days to achieve this, they explain.

Overall, the discovery showed "that it is possible to separate rejuvenation from complete reprogramming of pluripotency," that is, the ability of a cell to divide and produce multiple cell types, except the placental cell. Which, they stress, "should facilitate the discovery of new genes and anti-aging therapies."

For scientists, this discovery goes beyond the ability to slow the aging process of the skin, it may even open horizons to blocking age-related diseases (such as diabetes, cardiovascular or neurological diseases) and the regeneration of other body tissues, improving the quality of life and health of people as the years go by. Although promising, this discovery cannot jump into clinical practice just yet, since the risk of developing cancer is still high.