A Popular Science Overview of the Development of Senolytic Therapies

This popular science article is a decent introduction to the still young field of senolytic therapies to selectively destroy senescent cells in aged tissues. That said, the author fails to note any of the numerous senolytic programs other than those of the Mayo Clinic and Unity Biotechnology - which represent an increasingly small portion of the field as a whole. The accumulation of lingering senescent cells is one of the contributing causes of aging; these errant cells secrete a potent mix of signals that spur chronic inflammation, change cellular behavior for the worse, and destructively remodel tissue structure. Senolytic therapies have been demonstrated in mice to turn back the progression of numerous age-related diseases, and results from early human trials have been promising. Many researchers now view senescence as a beneficial process that evolved as a developmental and cancer prevention mechanism, but one that came with a tradeoff of the damage senescent cells can cause as they accumulate with age. There are still many unanswered questions about how these cells function, but it is already clear to scientists in the field that senescent cells influence a range of age-related pathologies, at least in rodents. Genetic ablation of senescent cells reduces the number of atherosclerotic plaques in mice, improves cartilage development in mouse models of osteoarthritis, boosts bone strength in murine models of osteoporosis, and even staves off neurodegenerative sympt...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs