American scientists from Columbia University in New York have made a discovery that could significantly impact medicine in the future. While studying bacterial defense mechanisms, they discovered a previously unknown system capable of creating new DNA sequences. Its function surprisingly resembles an enzyme that protects human chromosomes from damage. The research results, published on October 12, 2026, in the prestigious journal Nature, open up new possibilities in the fight against cellular aging and in the development of more effective treatments for certain diseases.
Major scientific breakthroughs sometimes come from unexpected places. In this case, researchers focused on bacteria and their ability to defend themselves against viruses. It was during the study of these simple organisms that they encountered a mechanism that could one day help protect human cells as well.
An international team led by Professor Samuel Sternberg from Columbia University identified a new defense system called DRT10. Bacteria use this system when attacked by viruses, and it functions in a way that surprised scientists.
Unlike the known CRISPR system, which allows for targeted modification of genetic information through interventions in DNA, DRT10 can create new DNA sequences based on an RNA template.
This ability could have significant implications for genetic engineering and medicine in the future.
Bacteria showed scientists a new way to work with DNA
The basis of the discovered mechanism is an enzyme called reverse transcriptase. Its function is to create DNA from information stored in an RNA molecule.
Researchers found that the DRT10 system can use this method to create long chains of repeating DNA sequences.
"This is a very unusual system that deviates from our usual view of genetic engineering," said Professor Samuel Sternberg.
According to him, the new mechanism could provide scientists with a different starting point for developing tools that can modify the genetic information of cells.
The discovery is also interesting because it reveals an unexpected connection between bacterial defense against viruses and one of the most important mechanisms for protecting human chromosomes.
The key to the discovery lies in telomeres, which are related to aging
Human cells contain so-called telomeres. These are protective DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes that help maintain the stability of genetic information.
With repeated cell division, telomeres gradually shorten. If they reach a critical length, cells may stop dividing and enter a state called cellular senescence.
The accumulation of such cells is associated with some aging processes and the development of diseases associated with older age.
The human body has an enzyme called telomerase, which can lengthen the protective DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes. However, its activity varies in different types of cells.
American scientists have now discovered that the newly discovered bacterial system DRT10 functions in a surprisingly similar way to telomerase.
Further analyses also suggest that both mechanisms may have a common evolutionary origin.
This would mean that some basic principles of chromosome protection originated in ancient times and are related to mechanisms that bacteria originally used to defend themselves against viruses.
The first success was achieved in human cells
The research did not stop at theoretical knowledge. Sternberg's team has already been able to use the DRT10 system to create human telomeric DNA sequences directly in human cells.
This is an important experimental result that confirms that the bacterial mechanism can also function in the environment of human cells.
Scientists are now investigating whether this method could be used to lengthen telomeres and potentially delay the transition of cells into a state of senescence.
If this possibility is confirmed in the future, it could open up new avenues for research into diseases associated with aging.
Researchers also want to focus on so-called telomeropathies, which are diseases caused by defects in maintaining telomeres.
However, it has not yet been proven that DRT10 can actually slow down the aging of human cells. The current experiments represent the first step towards verifying this possibility.
New hope for cancer treatment
Another potential application of the discovery relates to modern immunotherapy for tumors.
Scientists are particularly focusing on a type of therapy called CAR-T, in which a patient's own immune cells are genetically modified so that they can recognize and attack tumor cells.
One of the questions that researchers are addressing is the possibility of extending the functional lifespan of these therapeutic cells.
If it were possible to safely influence their telomeres, some of the modified immune cells could potentially maintain their activity for a longer period of time, according to scientists.
Such a procedure could potentially contribute to improving cancer treatment.
However, this is currently only a research possibility. Lengthening telomeres requires extreme caution, because the enzyme telomerase plays an important role in the biology of tumor cells.
Discovery may change our view of the development of life
In addition to its potential use in medicine, the study also provides new insights into evolution.
When comparing different enzymes, scientists found that bacterial defense mechanisms and telomerase belong to a related evolutionary group.
The results support the hypothesis that the ability to create repeating DNA sequences existed in the ancient ancestors of today's organisms.
This mechanism may have later acquired a completely new role in protecting the chromosomes of more complex forms of life.
According to Professor Sternberg, this evolutionary dimension is one of the most interesting aspects of the research. The discovery connects two seemingly distant worlds – the defense of bacteria against viruses and the protection of genetic information in human cells.
Although the path to potential medical applications is still long, the results represent a significant advance in basic biological research. They show that even simple organisms can harbor mechanisms that may one day help develop new treatments.
Jaroslav Holý