Fight Aging!

The accumulation of senescent cells in aged tissues is an important contributing cause of aging, but it is only one cause of many. Nonetheless, removing even just a third of lingering senescent cells in some tissues produces a degree of rejuvenation in old mice that is large enough to be very interesting. Much of this effect appears mediated by a reduction in inflammatory signaling and thus in the chronic inflammation that disrupts tissue function in later life. We can hope that clinical trials and the ongoing development of first and second generation senolytic therapies to clear senescent cells will demonstrate similar benefits to health in humans.

Chronic inflammation, one of the major hallmarks of aging, is thought to be partly caused by senescent cells that may accumulate in older individuals. As we age, a small number of cells in tissues throughout our body become senescent. These cells undergo irreversible cell cycle arrest - in other words, they can no longer divide. The unique cells may have some evolutionary benefit. Rapid cell division, for example, can lead to cancer, and senescence may be an evolutionary adaptation that reduces the risk of certain cells becoming cancerous. However, senescent cells also produce inflammatory cytokines that accelerate the process of aging.

Researchers hypothesize that through targeting senescent cells, they could potentially reign in chronic inflammation in aging individuals. To study senescence in mice, the researchers will mark various cells with fluorescent markers to track how the cells age over time and to see if they become senescent. Next, they will use unbiased transcriptional sequencing and spatial sequencing approaches - techniques used to help researchers generate a map of the cell they are sequencing - to try and discover new markers that are unique to senescent cells.

The team hopes their work will lead to the development of approaches to target senescent cells in a way that reduces the inflammation they produce. Some researchers, for example, are studying ways to eliminate senescent cells using drugs known as senolytics. However, the use of these drugs is controversial because current senolytic drugs aren't specific to just getting rid of senescent cells and may harm other cells as well. The workcould potentially help scientists identify senescent cells causing chronic inflammation and develop newer, more precision drugs targeting these cells.

Link: https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/how-studying-cellular-senescence-can-help-researchers-learn-to-delay-aging/