That is a very reasonable expectation. Geron Corp., a California biotech company that is a leader in aging research, is doing the work that is getting the most buzz among scientists. Some of the cells its scientists use in their research come from the huge, cryogenic storage tanks at Coriell in Camden. Though there's nothing simple about it, the scientists at Geron are in essence trying to turn back the hands of time at the cellular level. As cells go about their business in the body, they accumulate damage, mostly due to oxygen.
Telomeres are like protective tips at the end of chromosomes, which carry genes inside every cell.
As cells divide repeatedly, telomeres get shorter and shorter. Eventually, telomeres get so short that cells can no longer divide. Then they die. Geron scientists are experimenting with an enzyme called telomerase, which keep telomeres from shortening. Soup up telomerase and scientists keep alive the kinds of cells that die in Parkinson's and other nerve diseases.