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UNC Lineberger Director Ned Sharpless was quoted in The Atlantic, Science and Science News on the significance of a study by Mayo Clinic researchers. The study “provocatively” suggested a new treatment for aging, Sharpless said.

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A preclinical study led by researchers from the Mayo Clinic found that after removing certain damaged cells, mice of two genetic backgrounds were able to live longer. The study, which was published in the journal Nature, “provocatively” suggests a treatment for aging, said Norman Sharpless, MD director of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Wellcome Distinguished Professor of Cancer Research.

The study builds on findings from a 2004 study by Sharpless and colleagues that found that expression of p16INK4a, an important mediator of cellular senescence, could serve as a biomarker of aging. In the new study, scientists from the Mayo Clinic found that by deleting p16INK4a -positive cells, they increased the lifespan of mice of two genetic backgrounds. The researchers genetically engineered mice to express a toxic protein in p16INK4a -positive cells.

“Damaged, presumably senescent, cells that express p16 accumulate exponentially with aging,” Sharpless said. “This new work from Van Deursen and colleagues shows a surprisingly strong and beneficial effect of removing these damaged cells on mammalian physiology. Animals that have undergone deletion of these cells are healthier in several ways and live longer. This paper provocatively suggests a way to treat aging.”

However, Sharpless cautioned that this particular approach would not be possible in people, and said additional questions remain as to how to potential “senolytic” therapies forward generally, such as which potential drug to try, as well as how to measure their effect.

Sharpless commented on the study for The Atlantic and other media outlets.