First supercentenarian-derived stem cells created

People who live more than 110 years, called supercentenarians, are remarkable not only because of their age, but also because of their incredible health. This elite group appears resistant to diseases such as Alzheimer's, heart disease and cancer that still affect even centenarians. However, we don't know why some people become supercentenarians and others do not.

Now, for the first time, scientists have reprogrammed cells from a 114-year-old woman into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The advance, completed by scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys and AgeX Therapeutics, a biotechnology company, enables researchers to embark on studies that uncover why supercentenarians live such long and healthy lives.

"We set out to answer a big question: Can you reprogram cells this old?" says Evan Y. Snyder, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at Sanford Burnham Prebys, and study author. "Now we have shown it can be done, and we have a valuable tool for finding the genes and other factors that slow down the aging process."

In the study, the scientists reprogrammed blood cells from three different people – the aforementioned 114-year-old woman, a healthy 43-year-old individual and an 8-year-old child with progeria, a condition that causes rapid aging – into iPSCs. These cells were then transformed into mesenchymal stem cells, a cell type that helps maintain and repair the body's structural tissues – including bone, cartilage and fat.