Prevalence of Cellular Senescence May Explain the Inverse Correlation Between Cancer and Neurodegeneration

One of the more curious aspects of aging is that risk of Alzheimer's disease and risk of cancer is inversely correlated. Why is this the case? Researchers here suggest that cellular senescence may be an important component of this relationship. If cells in a given individual are more than averagely prone to becoming senescent in response to stress and damage, then this may lower the risk of cancer, as precancerous cells will be blocked from replication and removed by the immune system more efficiently. On the other hand, increased cellular senescence in the aging brain will more rapidly drive chronic inflammation and neurological dysfunction, leading to an increased risk of dementia. Given this, we are fortunately to live in an era in which senolytic drugs to selectively remove senescent cells now exist. Some of them, such as the combination of dasatinib and quercetin, can bypass the blood-brain barrier to destroy senescent cells in brain tissue. This therapy has been shown to reduce chronic inflammation and reverse Alzheimer's pathology in mouse models of the condition. Human trials in Alzheimer's patients are somewhere in the early stages of organization, and we can hope that this strategy will outperform past efforts. Evidence of the Cellular Senescence Stress Response in Mitotically Active Brain Cells-Implications for Cancer and Neurodegeneration The risk of both neurodegenerative disease and cancer increases with advanced age due to increased damag...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs