As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. But how much do we know about anti-aging technology in the future? We might be optimistic in thinking that our ability to prevent and reverse aging will improve with age, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t need to take action sooner than later.
The implications of a world where we can prevent and treat aging are mind-blowing. What if we could reverse the signs of aging, giving us youthfulness again? What if this did not come at a cost? It has been over two decades since anti-aging cosmetic product development started on a scientific research footing.
As such, there is still a lot of room for advancement and further exploration before we reach the point where anti-aging technologies are ready for prime time. Here is an overview of key developments that have taken place in this space in the last few years.
Nanotechnology: The exciting new frontier in anti-aging technology
Cells have been grown in the lab to produce all kinds of materials for use in gadgets and devices. The development of accurate and controlled machines that can produce the necessary materials at scale has revolutionized the pharma and biotech industries.
The impact of this has been felt most clearly in the skin care and beauty industry, where automation and robotics have been brought to bear on a wide variety of tasks. All this advanced machinery enables firms to churn out almost everything in the supply chain with advanced manufacturing techniques.
It has also made possible new types of materials with special properties that can be used to treat and prevent conditions. One example of this is biomimetic materials, which imitate the functions of living cells and tissues using synthetic materials. The development of these materials can bring tremendous potential benefits to anti-aging healthcare and beauty care.
Biological stem cells: The latest advancement in stopping aging
Stem cells are unique in that they can become any type of cell in the body. The potential for stem cells to be used to treat a wide range of conditions is obvious, and this is the basis for ‘biological stem cells’ (BSC). BSCs are extracted from adult stem cells and can be grown in the lab to produce all the necessary proteins to support adult function and growth.
How do BSCs differ from adult stem cells? Adult stem cells come with a set of instructions that specify which types of cell to produce and when. However, BSCs are considered to be ‘lymphoid’ cells, which means that they can be reprogrammed into different cell types and produce the necessary proteins when necessary.
This has important implications for regenerative medicine and is one of the main reasons why BSCs have become the foundation for anti-aging technologies.
Nanotechnology for rejuvenation and tissue repair – the next steps
In the last few years, firms have begun to explore the potential of Nanotechnology for anti-aging applications. This is due in part to technological developments that have taken place in the field of nano-particle technologies, which enable the confinement of very small amounts of materials in a large volume.
The ability to encapsulate particles within lipids—the most common material in the body—is key to nano-medicine. On the one end, one can encapsulate nanomaterials in lipids to prevent them from entering the body through the skin. On the other end, one can use lipids to absorb the minerals in order to promote mineralization and increase the body’s ability to reject toxins.