The DNA acquires mutation over the replication cycles, and once one mutation is propagated then that never gets fixed. Can we develop a method to reverse that process?
as de differentiation of cells is quite established though IPS (Induced Pleuripotent Stem cells), can't we use a similar method to revert back the process of acquiring mutations.
DNA mutation is occur inside the cell when the defense mechanisms failed to overcome. First line would be NER (Nuleotide Excision Repair) and BER (Base Excision Repair) and finally if it can pass the cell cycle check point regulators will interact to guide cells into apoptosis in case of cancer. We should see what is the outcome. For example in case of cancer there are many alterations happening inside the cell and thats why this approach could not be promising. In case of single gene disorders there are different methods to overcome the problem during the embryonic life
It is quite a simple process these days to correct or change a base, few, or an segment of DNA in a cell. The main issue is identifying and gaining access to that specific cell.
The question may be interpreted generally and in more specific ways. If you mean cultured cells, and there is no genetic drift and you know the mutated loci, theoretically you can fix them by CRISPR-CAS9 or CPF1 gene editing systems. In organisms, there are various built-in mechanisms to deal with the somatic mutations at various levels from the repair at the cellular level to natural selection at the population level.
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