We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Strategy Found to Delay Age-Related Disorders

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 22 Nov 2011
Print article
Scientists have demonstrated that eliminating cells that accrue with age could prevent or delay the onset of age-related disorders and disabilities. The research, conducted in mouse models, provides the first evidence that these cells could contribute to aging and suggests a way to help people stay healthier as they age.

The findings were published November 2, 2011, in the journal Nature, along with an independent commentary on the discovery. “By attacking these cells and what they produce, one day we may be able to break the link between aging mechanisms and predisposition to diseases like heart disease, stroke, cancers, and dementia,” remarked coauthor James Kirkland, MD, PhD, head of the Mayo Clinic’s (Rochester, MN, USA) Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, and a professor of aging research. “There is potential for a fundamental change in the way we provide treatment for chronic diseases in older people.”

Fifty years ago, scientists discovered that cells undergo a finite number of divisions before they stop dividing. At that point, the cells reach a state called cellular senescence where they neither die nor continue to multiply. They produce factors that injure adjacent cells and cause tissue inflammation. This alternate cell fate is believed to be a mechanism to prevent runaway cell growth and the spread of cancer. The immune system sweeps out these dysfunctional cells on a regular basis, but over time becomes less effective at “keeping house.”

As a result, senescent cells accumulate with age. Whether and how these cells cause age-related diseases and dysfunction has been a major open question in the field of aging. One reason the question has been so difficult to answer is that the numbers of senescent cells are quite limited and comprise at most only 10% to 15% of cells in an elderly individual.

“Our discovery demonstrates that in our body cells are accumulating that cause these age-related disorders and discomforts,” noted senior author Jan van Deursen, PhD, a Mayo Clinic molecular biologist and professor of cellular senescence. “Therapeutic interventions to get rid of senescent cells or block their effects may represent an avenue to make us feel more vital, healthier, and allow us to stay independent for a much longer time.”

“Through their novel methodology, the researchers discovered that deletion of senescent cells in genetically engineered mice led to improvement in at least some aspects of the physiology of these animals. So, with the caveat that the study involved a mouse model displaying accelerated aging, this paper provides important insights on aging at the cellular level,” said Felipe Sierra, PhD, director of the division of aging biology, US National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD, USA).

Dr. van Deursen and colleagues genetically modified mice so their senescent cells harbored a molecule called caspase 8 that was only activated in the presence of a drug that has no effect on normal cells. When the transgenic mice were exposed to this drug, caspase 8 was triggered in the senescent cells, drilling holes in the cell membrane to destroy the senescent cells specifically.

The researchers discovered that lifelong elimination of senescent cells delayed the onset of age-related disorders such as cataracts, muscle loss, and weakness. Possibly, even more significantly, they showed that taking out these cells later in life could slow the progression of already established age-related disorders.

The findings, according to the researchers, validate a role of senescent cells in the aging process and demonstrate that chemicals secreted by these cells contribute to age-related tissue dysfunction and disease.

Related Links:

Mayo Clinic


Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
Specimen Collection & Transport
POCT Fluorescent Immunoassay Analyzer
FIA Go
Gold Member
Real-time PCR System
GentierX3 Series

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Reaching speeds up to 6,000 RPM, this centrifuge forms the basis for a new type of inexpensive, POC biomedical test (Photo courtesy of Duke University)

POC Biomedical Test Spins Water Droplet Using Sound Waves for Cancer Detection

Exosomes, tiny cellular bioparticles carrying a specific set of proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, play a crucial role in cell communication and hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics.... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: MOF materials efficiently enrich cfDNA and cfRNA in blood through simple operational process (Photo courtesy of Science China Press)

Blood Circulating Nucleic Acid Enrichment Technique Enables Non-Invasive Liver Cancer Diagnosis

The ability to diagnose diseases early can significantly enhance the effectiveness of clinical treatments and improve survival rates. One promising approach for non-invasive early diagnosis is the use... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The low-cost portable device rapidly identifies chemotherapy patients at risk of sepsis (Photo courtesy of 52North Health)

POC Finger-Prick Blood Test Determines Risk of Neutropenic Sepsis in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Neutropenia, a decrease in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell crucial for fighting infections), is a frequent side effect of certain cancer treatments. This condition elevates the risk of infections,... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The OvaCis Rapid Test discriminates benign from malignant epithelial ovarian cysts (Photo courtesy of INEX)

Intra-Operative POC Device Distinguishes Between Benign and Malignant Ovarian Cysts within 15 Minutes

Ovarian cysts represent a significant health issue for women globally, with up to 10% experiencing this condition at some point in their lives. These cysts form when fluid collects within a thin membrane... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.