Resetting stem cells to iPS cells supposedly holds the key to bolstering our body’s overall health. Scientists have managed to get it working on mice, let’s hope it works on us humans as well.

As we age, the capacity of the body to produce blood diminishes. This is why diseases linked to immune deficiencies, such as leukemia and other blood conditions stick out their neck as more time goes by.

Luckily researchers have found a way to turn back the clock, so as to speak. They have now found a way to rejuvenate blood cells by reprogramming the very stem cells that create them.

A team of researchers have effectively found a way that “resets” the stem cells by changing them into iPS cells, which can then generate any kind of cell. Thus, when these cells form blood stem cells, it is as if they were brand new.

While the technique has been tested only on mice, it holds a lot of promise if it works effectively on humans.

If we can rejuvenate a significant number of cells, we could harden our body’s defenses against a number of blood disorders and materially boost our overall health.

Even if it does not work on us humans, it will still shed some light as to how our blood system works.

The findings of this research is significant since it shows that ageing related changes in our blood aren’t due to mutations but because of epigenetics (changes in gene expressions). They could be the real culprits.

If gene mutations were the likely culprit, we should be able to see the damage after the reset.