University of Bonn scientists reprogram cells from an 80-year-old donor into neural stem cells with epigenetic age below 20

Key facts

• Scientists at the University of Bonn in Germany reprogrammed blood-cell precursors from an 80-year-old donor into neural stem cells with an epigenetic age below 20, using transcription factors.
• The research was announced on October 9 and published in the journal Aging Cell in 2026.
• The direct reprogramming process, which bypassed the pluripotent stem-cell stage, unfolded over more than 100 days.
• Professor Oliver Brustle, director of the Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology at University Hospital Bonn, said the epigenetic rejuvenation makes the cells behave like young cells.
• The neural stem cells could aid research into age-related neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, though the study does not establish any treatment or reversal of human aging.