Revolutionary Approach to Eradicate Aging Cells.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have discovered that the immune response to a common virus in human tissues can detect and eliminate senescent cells in the skin. Senescent cells are cells that have stopped dividing and are no longer able to perform their normal functions. They accumulate with age and have been linked to a number of age-related diseases, including arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration. The study highlights a beneficial function of viruses living in our body and could have a variety of clinical applications, including the development of new treatments to eliminate senescent cells in diseases like cancer, fibrosis, and degenerative diseases.