5 FEVRIER 2016 - 13H

Reprogramming towards pluripotency as a new paradigm for cell rejuvenation

Jean-Marc Lemaitre, Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Biotherapie, IRMB Montpellier

Lieu : Amphithéâtre Charpak, LPNHE | Campus Jussieu

Résumé :

Aging of populations is increasing at a phenomenal rate in most industrialized countries and it is accompanied by increases in a set of age-related diseases, which have a considerable impact on society and the economy. People age at different rates and delaying the effects of aging has become a major challenge for the Scientific and Medical communities. Several major cellular phenomena are associated with aging of the organism and are involved in the onset of age-related pathologies: increasing cellular senescence and its damaging effects on tissues, a decrease in the number of stem cells in tissues, and an impaired ability of these aging stem cells to differentiate and to maintain a vigorous youthful tissue function. Advances in basic research in biology and medicine as well as the increasing place of technological developments are enabling a set of therapeutic strategies to be devised to combat the effects of aging.

Regenerative medicine, which aims to develop strategies to repair tissues and organs damaged by accident, illness or aging, will undoubtedly be the driving force of this therapeutic revolution whose aim is to fight aging. Rejuvenating cellular physiology is no longer a "myth", and we demonstrated that it is possible to reprogram the destiny of senescent cells taken from centenarian patients and to make pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) capable of redifferentiation into all cell types and with a rejuvenated physiology. Beyond this proof of concept for the reversibility of cell aging, a great deal of developments in this field of research made it possible to envisage cell therapy to correct a number of diseases related to age.