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Stem cells replenish organs with vigorous young cells when old one age out. However, stem cells’ ability to do so tends to weaken as we age.
Now a protein just discovered at the National University of Singapore is raising hopes that the brain could continue making new cells well into old age, perhaps even for our lifetimes.
The discovery: a protein known by the acronym DMTF1 that seems to be in charge of turning neural stem cells on and off in older brains.
Neural stem cells make new neurons, which are the foundations of learning and memory. As we age, the stem cells become less potent; we make fewer new brain cells, the old ones die, and cognitive decline can set in.
The researchers set out to map the biochemical changes that cause neural stem cells to weaken with age. Using human stem cells and models of premature aging led them to spot DMTF1 and then learn how the protein turns the stem cells on or off.
They discovered that DMTF1 activates genes that loosen DNA strands that have become densely packed together. When the strands loosen, genes related to neural cell growth become active.
The discovery needs more work, especially to see if boosting levels of the protein causes tumors or does other damage within the brain. If DMTF1 clears that test, clinical trials could be designed to see what the impact of boosting the protein’s production has on reviving neural stem cell production in animals and, eventually, humans.
TRENDPOST: If the protein proves safe at therapeutic dosage levels, genetic therapies to increase its production in the brain, or simple injections, could become a new first-line treatment for age-related slippage of memory and learning.
However, it will take several years before any such therapy is clinically available.
The breakthrough is another indication that by the middle of this century, many of the key debilities that define “normal” aging are likely to be vanquished.