Could getting rid of the Hayflick Limit enable immortality?

[RiveraC]

I was trying to think about this logically when I first heard about the Hayflick limit. The Hayflick limit is the amount a cell divides before it can no longer divide anymore, which in humans is 50-70 times.

Certain cells, such as stem cells or cancer cells do not have the Hayflick limit. So if the Hayflick limit was gotten rid of for every cell in the body so they can keep multipling, would that enable a person to possibly live forever?

[Ken O]

We won't know until we try

[Joanne]

Well I doubt you would live forever as you said yourself that cancer cells do not have a Hayflick limit so even if all the other cells did continue to divide forever would cancer cells not come about due to mutations and ultimately cause death?

[jiajia1987]

It is so hard to say. Many things influence the Hayflick limit. Other than the intrinsic genetic factors in us, there is also the extrinsic factors like stress, lifestyle etc to consider. And if we live forever, well, that has never been achievable and we won't know until it happens for real.