Can We Reprogram Aging? Epigenetics, Cell Identity & the Future of Rejuvenation | Dr. Jose Polo

<p>🎬 <strong>EPISODE OVERVIEW</strong></p><p>Every cell in your body contains essentially the same DNA, yet a neuron behaves nothing like a skin cell. So what actually gives a cell its identity — and how permanent is that identity?In this episode, Dr. George Murphy sits down with epigenetics and cellular reprogramming expert Dr. Jose Polo to explore how cells establish identity, how that identity can be rewritten, and what reprogramming really means for aging and rejuvenation.They discuss why cellular reprogramming is not the same thing as rejuvenation, Jose’s concept of “cell elasticity,” the danger of pushing a cell so far that it loses its identity, and the possibility of using targeted cell conversion as regenerative medicine.</p><p>👤 <strong>ABOUT THE GUEST</strong></p><p>Dr. Jose M. Polo is Director of the Adelaide Centre for Epigenetics in Australia. His research focuses on the transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms that govern cell identity, pluripotency, cellular reprogramming, early development, and cancer. His laboratory has helped define the molecular sequence of somatic-cell reprogramming, developed strategies for direct cell-fate conversion, and pioneered human iBlastoid models of early embryonic development.Official profile: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUW1MNW1UVnNsMEI1MXNKWlliMThCRHxBR3JiS2FsTXNzeWpmMUdCVloxRWxGeV9yaXhCMzJrc3ZKOFNZOHBvRmswUE9JRDFENGd2VXowWnBKekU4R2FjdjdiQWd6SG82a2dEOGViSmRYcmFQT2REV2pCdDJETVdlVU9z&q=https%3A%2F%2Fresearchers.adelaide.edu.au%2Fprofile%2Fjose.polo&v=8dj4ZrmUPnQ" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/p...</a></p><p>🔑 <strong>KEYWORDS</strong></p><p>Epigenetics • Cellular Reprogramming • Cell Identity • Rejuvenation • Partial Reprogramming • Yamanaka Factors • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells • Cell Elasticity • Epigenetic Clocks • Regenerative Medicine • iBlastoids • Human Embryo Models • Longevity • Aging</p><p>📌 <strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS</strong></p><p>• Cell identity is regulatory, not genetic. The same genome can produce radically different cell states depending on which programs are active.</p><p>• Reprogramming is not the same as rejuvenation. Resetting cellular state may erase age-associated features, but that does not automatically mean restored function.</p><p>• “Cell elasticity” may define the safe window for partial reprogramming. A cell can move away from its identity and return — until it crosses