Scientists have started to test whether natural killer, or NK, cells can be trained to go after hard-to-cure blood cancers in human patients. But making these sentinels of the innate immune system a potential boon to human health spans might be simpler: Rather than needing to be genetically engineered or primed with synthetic antibodies, they just need to be turned on.
In mice, researchers reported on Monday in the journal Med, activating NKT cells can eliminate the senescent cells partly responsible for many diseases of aging. If the results hold up, they could offer a promising alternative to “senolytics” — experimental drugs that destroy these zombified cells that pile up and pollute your tissues as you get older. Although dozens of such drugs have postponed or even reversed diseases of aging in mouse experiments, clinical trials have thus far underwhelmed.
“It’s an interesting approach that works in experimental animals with two different conditions,” said geriatrician James Kirkland of the Mayo Clinic, whose discovery that giving old mice senescent cell-crushing compounds makes the animals live longer, healthier lives, helped take senolytics from backwater to boomtown. “We’re going to need multiple ways of getting at senescent cells,” he said. “Any step forward is important, and this is quite a nice step forward.” But he cautioned that a single senolytic strategy is unlikely to work for all age-related conditions.
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Very interesting and intellectual article. Unless those other articles in Statnews that lack intellectual value and just promote divisiveness by playing the cards of people of color. Statnews needs more author like the author of this article.
Good article, thank you.