In 1975, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) appointed a Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC), a group of 25 scientists tasked with creating the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules. This new gene-editing technology allowed for rapid advancements in science, medicine, and agriculture, but it was met with strong pushback on the putative hazards of genetic modification. In 1972, Paul Berg, an American scientist, took genetic material from one cell and inserted it into the genome of another cell with a virus, generating the first recombinant DNA molecule ( Figure 1). Early regulation of gene-editing technology However, a global community of scientists believe it is premature to use CRISPR in human babies because of inadequate scientific review and a lack of international consensus regarding the ethics of when and how this technology should be used. This was a huge step forward for gene therapies, as the potential of CRISPR to treat otherwise incurable diseases seemed possible. Last year, scientists used CRISPR to cure dogs of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. CRISPR, also known as CRISPR/Cas9, can be thought of as “genetic scissors” that can be programmed to edit DNA in any cell. Another company, Life Biosciences, is preparing to test whether reprogramming cells in the eye can treat blindness.Nearly four months ago, Chinese researcher He Jiankui announced that he had edited the genes of twin babies with CRISPR. Turn Bio, a company cofounded by Sebastiano, for instance, hopes to inject reprogramming factors into people’s skin to fight wrinkles or restart hair growth. Several companies are now pressing forward with plans for reprogramming drugs, but they are picking recognized medical conditions and narrowing their efforts to specific organs. Among other shortfalls in its research, Rejuvenate did not carefully document which and how many cells were changed by the genetic treatment. Sebastiano says the life-extension effect reported by Rejuvenate could be due to changes in a single organ or group of cells, rather than a general mouse-wide rejuvenation effect. “I’d like to see a separate group do something similar and go deeper onto what is actually happening,” says Borch Jensen. “I wouldn’t be working on it if I didn’t believe that,” he says.įar more information will be needed to learn exactly what changes the reprogramming genes cause in the mice, and researchers say other groups will need to repeat the experiment before they are convinced. But Davidsohn says that in the long term he believes it will be possible to rejuvenate human beings. Rejuvenate is currently developing gene-therapy drugs for pet dogs and humans, including one designed to treat heart failure. “This is like you can do nothing for your whole life and still get the benefit,” says Davidsohn. A US government program that tests drugs for their longevity effects has shown that several compounds, including the drug rapamycin, can prolong mouse lives by 5 to 15%.īut the mice have to take those drugs for much of their lives, whereas reprogramming has immediate effects. The amount of life extension observed is not in itself unprecedented. Not only did the treated mice survive noticeably longer, according to Davidsohn, but they also scored better on measures of general health. Those in the latest experiment were already 124 weeks old when they got the drug-close to the end of their lives. Mice live only months in the wild but can survive two to three years in the lab.
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