Well-Known Researchers Discuss Personalized Aging Treatments
The Hallmarks of Aging team has returned to Cell, publishing a detailed review discussing how future methods of dealing with aging might be highly personalized. Two more hallmarks? In the original and very heavily cited 2013 paper [1], Dr. López-Otín and colleagues outlined nine hallmarks of aging. In their 2023 update [2], three more were added, reflecting […]
DNA Methylation Patterns Trace Blood Aging Dynamics
Scientists have created a new, highly effective method of tracing blood cells’ lineage. This can improve our understanding of clonal hematopoiesis and its impact on an aging organism [1]. Hostile takeover In the human body, a relatively small pool of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) sustains a system that produces 100-200 billion mature blood cells each day. […]
How Plasma Exchange Affects Aging in a Human Trial
A placebo-controlled clinical trial, with results published in Aging Cell, has determined that plasma replacement has beneficial effects when combined with immunoglobulin, according to multiple epigenetic clocks and -omics biomarkers. Looking for a signal Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), the practice of extracting and replacing a person’s blood plasma with a saline solution containing albumin [1], has been […]
Vitamin D Rescues Telomere Attrition in Leukocytes
A sub-study, which was part of the large-scale VITAL trial, determined that vitamin D supplementation slows telomere attrition in leukocytes almost to a halt. This could have real-life clinical implications [1]. The chromosome guardians Attrition of telomeres, repetitive sequences that cap chromosomes, is one of the original hallmarks of aging. Our cells’ replication machinery does not […]
New Insights Into How Neural Stem Cells Age
Researchers publishing in Aging Cell have used single-cell transcriptomics to discover new insights into how neural stem cells (NSCs) change with aging. Adults do generate neurons The adult brain does generate new neurons [1], particularly in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory formation [2]. Neurogenesis is limited to very specific niches, however, and does […]
How Gut Microbiota Impact Endothelial Cell Senescence
In a recent study that included data from humans, mice, and cell culture experiments, researchers demonstrated that gut microbes and their metabolites can profoundly influence the senescence of endothelial cells. They also explored the molecular processes underlying these changes [1]. Senescence in the blood vessels Endothelial cells line the inner surfaces of blood vessels, and their […]