T CELLS ENGINEERED TO PROTECT AGAINST AGE-RELATED CONDITIONS
Explorers have long searched for the fountain of youth, only to discover that the key to anti-aging may have been within us all along. Research led by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) assistant professor Corina Amor Vegas and her team in the US has unveiled a groundbreaking finding: T cells can be reprogrammed to combat aging.
Through precise genetic modifications, these white blood cells have the potential to target senescent cells, which are believed to contribute to age-related diseases. Senescent cells, which cease replication as we grow older, accumulate in the body, causing detrimental inflammation.
While existing drugs can eliminate senescent cells, they oftendemonstrated that CAR T cells could be engineered to remove senescent cells in mice, leading to significant improvements in health. The treated mice displayed lower body weight, enhanced metabolism, improved glucose tolerance, increased physical activity and, most notably, no tissue damage or toxicity.
