In a recent interview, Harvard Prof. George Church, a pioneer in DNA sequencing technology whose lab has been on the forefront of the CRISPR genome editing revolution, states that it will soon be possible to control aging using CRISPR technology to program cells state from an old more disorganized state to a youthful state. How valid is Prof. Church’s approach? Are potential therapeutics just around the corner? How is this work compatible with RSI’s work on aging?
Church’s central hypothesis is that since cells from old humans can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells which for all intents and purposes appear rejuvenated and can produce any cell type in the body, it should be possible to program old cells to a youthful state without going all the way back to such a primitive cells state using precise epigenetic modification using CRISPR. We are complete concordance with this view and are pursuing a similar, complementary approach.