{"id":5390,"date":"2016-02-04T19:36:30","date_gmt":"2016-02-04T19:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kurzweilai.net\/?p=272802"},"modified":"2016-02-07T06:34:56","modified_gmt":"2016-02-07T06:34:56","slug":"mayo-clinic-researchers-extend-lifespan-by-up-to-35-percent-in-mice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/fugic\/2016\/02\/04\/mayo-clinic-researchers-extend-lifespan-by-up-to-35-percent-in-mice\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayo Clinic researchers extend lifespan by up to 35 percent in mice"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aged mice with and without senescent cell clearance (credit: Mayo Clinic)<\/p><\/div>\n

Researchers at\u00a0Mayo Clinic<\/a>\u00a0have discovered that senescent cells — cells that no longer divide and accumulate with age — shorten lifespan by as much as 35 percent in normal mice.<\/p>\n

Removing these aging cells delays tumor formation, preserves tissue and organ function, and extends lifespan without observed adverse effects, the researchers found, writing Feb. 3 in\u00a0Nature<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCellular senescence is a biological mechanism that functions as an \u2018emergency brake\u2019 used by damaged cells to stop dividing,\u201d says\u00a0Jan van Deursen, Ph.D.,\u00a0<\/a>Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular biology at Mayo Clinic, and senior author of the paper. \u201cWhile halting cell division of these cells is important for cancer prevention, it has been theorized that once the \u2018emergency brake\u2019 has been pulled, these cells are no longer necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the immune system becomes less effective, senescent cells build up and damage adjacent cells, causing chronic inflammation, which is closely associated with frailty and age-related diseases.<\/p>\n

Mayo Clinic researchers used a compound called AP20187 to remove senescent cells, which delayed tumor formation and reduced age-related deterioration of several organs, extending mediian lifespan of treated mice by 17 to 35 percent. The mice also had a healthier appearance and less inflammation in fat, muscle and kidney tissue.<\/p>\n

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Paul F. Glenn Foundation, the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Noaber Foundation, and the\u00a0Mayo Clinic Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Van Deursen is a co-inventor of the technology that has been licensed by Mayo Clinic to Unity Biotechnology. Mayo Clinic and Van Deursen have a financial interest in the technology.<\/p>\n