Scientists have done a revolutionary discovery, having discovered a new state of cells that could revolutionize approaches to medicine.
This was reported by URA-Inform with reference to Theconversation.
Professor Peter Noble from the University of Washington and Alex Pozhitkov from the City of Hope Medical Center in California have found that after the death of an organism, cells are capable of demonstrating unexpected abilities. In the presence of nutrients, oxygen or bioelectric signals, they can reorganize and adapt to new conditions.
In laboratory experiments, cells from dead frogs were able to form multicellular structures – so-called “xenobots”. In humans, lung cells formed similar structures, which were called “anthropobots”. This discovery challenges traditional ideas about the evolution and stability of cells.
The ability of cells to survive after the death of an organism depends on many factors: the environment, the level of metabolism, and preservation methods. For example, human leukocytes lose viability 60-86 hours after death, while muscle cells in mice retain the ability to regenerate for up to two weeks.
Research in this area has been ongoing for over 15 years. Initially, the scientific community perceived this work with distrust, but in 2017, scientists found that up to a thousand genes are activated in mice and fish after death.
According to Noble and Pozhitkov, their discoveries can change approaches to regenerative medicine and immunotherapy, as well as revise the definition of “legal death”. These developments open up new horizons for treating diseases and restoring tissue.
«We are on the threshold of understanding fundamental questions about life,» the scientists concluded.
Recall that earlier it was reported about what height people live longer: unexpected data from a study by scientists.
