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Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens

Older Muscle Stem Cells Rejuvenated to Function Like Younger Cells, May Help Elderly Repair Muscle

Stanford researchers pinpoint why normal aging is accompanied by a diminished ability to regain strength and mobility after muscle injury

By Krista Conger

Feb. 17, 2014 - Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have pinpointed why normal aging is accompanied by a diminished ability to regain strength and mobility after muscle injury: Over time, stem cells within muscle tissues dedicated to repairing damage become less able to generate new muscle fibers and struggle to self-renew.

In the past, its been thought that muscle stem cells themselves dont change with age, and that any loss of function is primarily due to external factors in the cells environment, said Helen Blau, PhD, the Donald and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Professor.

However, when we isolated stem cells from older mice, we found that they exhibit profound changes with age. In fact, two-thirds of the cells are dysfunctional when compared to those from younger mice, and the defect persists even when transplanted into young muscles.

Blau and her colleagues also identified for the first time a process by which the older muscle stem cell populations can be rejuvenated to function like younger cells. Our findings identify a defect inherent to old muscle stem cells, she said. Most exciting is that we also discovered a way to overcome the defect. As a result, we have a new therapeutic target that could one day be used to help elderly human patients repair muscle damage.

Blau, a professor of microbiology and immunology and director of Stanfords Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, is the senior author of a paper describing the research, published online Feb. 16 in Nature Medicine. Postdoctoral scholar Benjamin Cosgrove, PhD, and former postdoctoral scholar Penney Gilbert, PhD, now an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, are the lead authors.

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Older Muscle Stem Cells Rejuvenated to Function Like Younger Cells, May Help Elderly Repair Muscle