Cellular senescence is a process that entails a state of cell cycle arrest in response to damaging stimuli. Senescent cells can arise throughout the lifespan and, if persistent, can have deleterious effects on tissue function due to the many proteins they secrete¹.
Senolytics are drugs that selectively kill senescent cells². In preclinical models, interventions targeting those senescent cells that are persistent and cause tissue damage have been shown to delay, prevent or alleviate multiple disorders¹.
Senolytics decrease the number of naturally occurring senescent human cells in vitro, and improve physical function and increase the lifespan of aged mice².
Over the past 5 years, senotherapeutic research has progressed exponentially with the demonstration that these drugs can be used as a potential approach to improve transplantation outcomes and transplant availability in both animal models and in humans².
The aging population is steadily increasing. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1 in 6 people, or 2.1 billion, are expected to be over age 60 by 2030³. Senolytics could be a promising approach for improving healthspan and lifespan in this population.
(1) Cellular senescence and senolytics: the path to the clinic. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9599677/.
(2) The costs and benefits of senotherapeutics for human health. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568%2821%2900300-7/fulltext.
(3) Cellular senescence and senolytics: the path to the clinic. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01923-y.
(4) Cellular senescence and senolytics: the path to the clinic. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35953721/.
