Research found to reverse signs of ageing in mice

A new study has emerged that reveals another clue into the process of ageing and how, on a cellular level, this may be able to be reversed, at least partially. The research centred on cells called senescent cells – these cells were once thought to be a benign process of ageing, as they are no longer functioning cells that remain dormant due to DNA damage. It is now known, however, that senescent cells are able to damage nearby cells and impair tissue function.

The researchers, from the Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, found that when a peptide was introduced to mice to induce natural cell death in senescent cells, the mice exhibited signs of the reversal of the natural ageing process.

Particularly, the mice demonstrated fur regrowth after 10 days of treatment, after three weeks the mice that had been treated could run double the distance of untreated mice and after a month improvements to kidney function were seen. Beyond this, the mice were also found to be more inquisitive and more likely to explore their surroundings.

Senescent cells should be cleared away by the body, by a protein called p53, but researchers found that a different protein, FOXO4, latched onto the p53 protein before it could perform this action. The researchers were able create a compound that prevented this link from forming, allowing the senescent cells naturally die but without damaging healthy cells.

The next stage for research is to conduct clinical trials in people to discover whether the treatment holds potential therapeutic effects. The first targets will be in cancer, particularly a type of brain tumour, called Gliobastoma multiforme – where cancer cells display a similar marker to those in senescent cells and it is thought there is the potential to treat patients in the same way.

The results from the trial, particularly the safety indication, could point towards whether the treatment could be used to more generally target ageing rather disease as a therapeutic aim.

Ben Hargreaves