The Mayo Clinic has recently published exciting results from an independent research project it conducted with collaborators at the University of Groningen in the journal Nature. The project successfully demonstrated that the clearance of senescent cells can delay the onset of adverse age-related changes, such as muscle loss, in mice that have been genetically engineered to age at an increased rate. This represents the finest proof of concept work to date on the effectiveness of senescent cell removal in countering the effects of aging. You can see the publication here, the Mayo Clinic's press release here, and can read coverage from the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and CBS News. 

SENS Foundation has long supported the theory that the removal of senescent cells can contribute to increased health in old age (our own approach is outlined here). In fact, the prospective treatment suggested by the Clinic’s research is a rejuvenation biotechnology, an application of regenerative medicine to the diseases of aging. Senescent cells represent one of the several types of damage that accumulate with age -- one of the several types of damage that rejuvenation biotechnologies might repair.

The strength of this damage-repair approach is reflected in senior author Dr. van Deursen’s sentiment (reported by the Wall Street Journal) that the clearance of senescent cells might allow multiple diseases of aging to be treated as a group. This is a statement that we entirely agree with. If the many diseases of aging are, as we believe, ultimately caused by damage that falls into only a handful of categories -- seven by our best count -- dealing comprehensively with one type of damage can counter several, if not many, diseases. With luck, the Clinic’s clear demonstration of the effectiveness of this approach will encourage other researchers to work towards the development of rejuvenation biotechnologies.

A side note: we had the pleasure of having two of this paper’s authors, Drs. Kirkland and LeBrasseur, give presentations at our recent SENS5 conference. Videos of their talks have been posted on SENS Foundation's Youtube channel: you can view Dr. Kirkland's here and Dr. LeBrasseur's here.

Proceed to the article at Nature.