Stem cell jab could shrink the wrinkles

SCIENTISTS are working on a new weapon in the war against wrinkles – injecting the patient’s own stem cells to restore the skin’s elasticity.

A British firm is trialling the method, which it believes will encourage the growth of new skin cells, called fibroblasts, which make collagen.

Collagen, which gives skin its elasticity, is produced in large quantities when we are young, but the amount declines as we age.

Glasgow-based firm Pharmacells plans to begin clinical trials in a year and believes the procedure could be commercially available in just three years. By using the body’s own cells, it is billed as a more ‘natural’ approach than Botox.

The type of cell to be used is called a blastomere-like stem cell and can develop into many other types of cell in the human body, such as a liver, brain or skin.

It is available in very large quantities from one blood sample and scientists hope to inject 500millon of the cells in the skin in one jab.

Pharmacells is also investigating their uses against heart attacks, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cancer, as well as acne scars and stretch marks.

Athol Haas, Pharmacells’ chief executive, said: ‘It will be longlasting – at least five years.’

There are ‘stem cell facelifts’ already on the market which involve taking a fat sample from a patient and injecting it into their face.

But Mr Haas said these stem cells are far lower in quality.