Chennai scientists confirm that stem cells decline with aging

The study done by NCRM was published in the Journal of Gerontology.

Indo-Japan joint working group of NCRM published in Bone Marrow Research found that the aging process has an adverse effect on the quantity of the bone marrow stem cells. An earlier study by Posvic et al., which claimed that the stem cells of bone marrow doesn't decline with aging, has been questioned by the NCRM group based on their own findings. The NCRM group explains the logic behind their findings, which has been published in the Journal of Gerontology, the official issue of the Gerontological Society of America.

The author of the article Dr Abraham, has explained that their findings in more than 300 people of various age groups have proven that stem cells decrease in quantity with aging and any generalisation of a fact in contrary can be acceptable only when evaluated in larger number of healthy age matched controls without any comorbidity.

According to him, the NCRM team has been working on prevention of age related damages in stem cells employing physical and chemical maneuvers as well as synthetic nanomaterial and polymer based scaffold based tissue engineering or cryopreservation methodologies. The postponement of such age related changes may enable an enduring youthfulness. The team is also working on enhancement of the immune system to prevent age related weakness in immunity to prevent cancer or viral infection both are known to be common with aging.