The Science and Technology of Growing Young by Sergey Young

The Science and Technology of Growing Young by Sergey Young

Author:Sergey Young
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781953295392
Publisher: BenBella Books
Published: 2021-06-02T00:00:00+00:00


OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Resveratrol, rapamycin, and metformin all target one important hallmark of aging—age-related mitochondrial dysfunction. But this is not the only line to longevity. There are other hallmarks to contend with, like cellular senescence.

Cellular senescence, you may recall from chapter four, is the natural process whereby cells reach their capacity for division and finally take themselves out of service. When senescence proceeds smoothly, expired cells are absorbed by the body and their useful contents recycled. This is called apoptosis. However, according to Buck Institute for Research on Aging professor Dr. Judith Campisi, as we grow older, these cells become stubborn. When they reach the end of their natural life cycle, they sometimes stick around in a kind of “zombie state” instead of being reabsorbed. They become inflamed and begin sending chemical signals to adjacent cells to also become zombies. This domino effect repeats indefinitely. High levels of zombie cells in the body are linked to heart disease, diabetes, dementia, osteoporosis, kidney disease, liver failure, and lung conditions.

Campisi and others have pioneered a new class of potential longevity pills called senolytics, which target and destroy zombie senescent cells. In studies by Campisi and other researchers, senolytic molecules like dasatinib and quercetin successfully destroyed these zombie cells in mice, subsequently curing or preventing age-related conditions in the lungs, cardiovascular system, bones, and kidneys. The mice given these senolytics also lived 36 percent longer than mice that were not.18 In studies by Dr. Peter de Keizer of the Utrecht University Medical Center in the Netherlands, another senolytic drug called FOXO-4 did not just stop zombie cells in their tracks; it also caused aged mice to grow back their fur, it restored their physical fitness and stamina, and it rejuvenated their failing kidneys.19

While this is exciting news for mice, can senolytics delay or reverse aging in humans? It looks like perhaps they can. In 2019, the Mayo Clinic’s resident senescent cell expert Dr. James Kirkland released the results of the first clinical trial exploring the use of senolytics to treat age-related diseases in humans.20 In a small, short study of just fourteen patients with pulmonary fibrosis, dasatinib and quercetin improved the condition of the subjects in just three weeks. Another Kirkland study, released later that year, showed that senolytic drugs indeed reduce the number of senescent cells in humans.21 Many more drugs with senolytic properties are under investigation now.

Clearly, senolytics are noteworthy hopefuls for the prize of becoming our “longevity pill.” But senescence does play an important role in cancer suppression by reducing the ability of abnormal cells to proliferate. It is also possible that using senolytic drugs to preempt aging in humans might backfire. Like our other longevity pills, it is still too early to tell how central a role senolytics may play in our quest to defeat aging.



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