Unclogging the immune system: Scientists use immunotherapy to remove aging cell buildup

December 23, 2024
6:49 pm

Whenever a sink overflows, the flooding is usually caused by a blockage that has built up in the drains. Similarly, as we age, our bodies are flooded by aging, or senescent cells, which have stopped dividing but, instead of dying, remain active and build up in body tissues. Recent studies have shown that getting rid of these cells might delay age-related diseases, reduce inflammation and extend lives. Despite the great potential, however, there is currently no drug that can target these cells directly and efficiently.

Now, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers suggest an alternative approach. In a new study published in Nature Cell Biology, they reveal that senescent cells build up in the body by clogging up the immune system, thereby preventing their own removal.

The scientists demonstrated in mice how to unclog this blockage using immunotherapy, the new generation of treatments that is revolutionizing cancer therapy. These findings could pave the way for innovative treatment of age-related diseases and other chronic disorders.

Prof. Valery Krizhanovsky’s lab in Weizmann’s Molecular Cell Biology Department has long been studying biological processes characteristic of aging, specifically, the involvement of senescent cells in age-related diseases and chronic inflammation. A mathematical model developed in 2019 by Weizmann’s Prof. Uri Alon, in collaboration with Krizhanovsky, predicted that while senescent cells are removed from a young body in a matter of days, in an aging body they manage to delay their own removal.

Unclogging the immune system: Scientists use immunotherapy to remove aging cell buildup

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