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Senescence

Senescence featured article

Senescence is a response to stress in which damaged cells terminate normal growth cycles to prevent dysfunctional cells from reproducing. Senescence is a vital cellular process involved in embryonic development, wound healing, and cancer immunity; however, the accumulation of senescent cells is associated with diseases of aging such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, sarcopenia, and glaucoma.

The immune system has an effective process for clearing senescent cells; however, many lifestyle factors that are common in the modern world impair the immune system's ability to maintain a safe concentration of dysfunctional cells. Research suggests that the following environmental factors increase the burden of senescent cells:

  • High glycemic diet: High blood sugar levels increased the rate of senescence in bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells, a type of stem cell.
  • Sedentary lifestyle:...
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Episodes

epigenetics

How To Slow Biological Aging With a Multivitamin, Vegetables, & Omega-3 | Dr. Steve Horvath

Posted on May 25th 2026 (2 months)

Dr. Rhonda Patrick and Dr. Steve Horvath discuss how epigenetic clocks measure biological age and which proven interventions actually slow or reverse aging.

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Aliquot #102: The Future of Aging Therapeutics, Part 1

Posted on February 12th 2024 (over 2 years)

Researchers in the field of aging science have identified nine hallmarks of aging – observable biological patterns of dysfunction that occur as an organism a...

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Q&A #39 with Dr. Rhonda Patrick (9/03/2022)

Posted on September 3rd 2022 (almost 4 years)

Dr. Rhonda Patrick answers audience questions on various health, nutrition, and science topics in this Q&A session.

Topic Pages

  • Biological Age Clocks

    Senescence induces epigenetic, transcriptomic and secretory alterations quantified by biological age clocks, thereby informing systemic ageing estimates.

  • Hallmarks of aging

    Cellular senescence is itself a hallmark of aging, whose SASP exacerbates genomic instability, stem cell exhaustion, and altered intercellular communication.

  • Senescence

    Senescence and Senescence are identical; senescence denotes permanent cell-cycle arrest induced by DNA damage, telomere attrition, or oncogenic stress.

News & Publications

  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy reverses aspects of the cellular aging process in older adults, boosting immune cell function. www.sciencedaily.com
    Aging Telomeres DNA Damage Immune System Senescence

    Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves exposure to oxygen at up to three times the normal pressure, increasing the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. A 2020 study found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy prevented telomere shortening and cellular senescence – hallmarks of cellular aging – in older adults, effectively reversing the aging process.

    The study involved 35 older adults who underwent 60 hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments over three months. Using blood samples the participants provided before, during, and after the intervention, researchers assessed the participants' immune cell telomere length and senescence.

    They noted a 20 percent or greater increase in T helper, T cytotoxic, natural killer, and B cell telomere length following the hyperbaric treatments. B cell telomeres showed the greatest change, increasing as much as 52 percent post-treatment. B cells facilitate adaptive immunity – producing antibodies against bacterial, viral, and toxic exposures. The number of senescent T helper cells decreased by roughly 37 percent; senescent T cytotoxic cells decreased by 11 percent.

    Telomeres are short, repetitive sequences of DNA located on the ends of chromosomes. They form a protective “cap” – a sort of disposable buffer that gradually shortens with age – that prevents chromosomes from losing genes or sticking to other chromosomes during cell division. When the telomeres on a cell’s chromosomes get too short, the cell stops dividing or dies. Learn more about telomeres in this episode featuring Dr. Elisa Epel.

    Cellular senescence is the condition or process of deterioration that occurs with age. Cells that acquire enough damage can become senescent, rendering them metabolically inactive and unable to replicate. Senescent cells often release proinflammatory cytokines, driving the deterioration of neighboring healthy cells. Learn more about cellular senescence in this episode featuring Dr. Judith Campisi.

    These findings suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy reverses some of the effects of aging in immune cells. However, this study was small and had no control group. Future research with larger groups may shed more light on the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen in slowing or reversing cellular aging.

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  • Gene therapy slows aging in mice. www.reuters.com
    Aging Genetic Engineering Senescence

    Cellular senescence is the condition or process of cellular deterioration that occurs with age. Senescent cells often release inflammatory proteins that can damage neighboring healthy cells. Understanding the genetic and epigenetic bases of cellular senescence is instrumental in developing interventions to slow aging. A recent report identifies a gene therapy strategy to slow aging in mice.

    Gene therapy is a technique in which altered (mutated) genes are corrected as a means to prevent or treat disease. One type of gene therapy involves inactivating a mutated gene that is functioning improperly.

    The study investigators conducted a genome-wide screen of mesenchymal precursor cells (a descendant of embryonic stem cells) that carried genes for Werner syndrome and Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome – conditions characterized by rapid, accelerated aging. They found that the primary driver of the accelerated aging in both syndromes was KAT7, an enzyme involved in histone modification.

    Then the investigators inactivated the KAT7 gene in normally aging mice and prematurely aging mice and found that inactivation of the gene extended the animals' lifespan. They did not observe any toxicities or adverse events in the animals.

    These findings suggest that inactivation of critical genes involved in aging syndromes extends lifespan in mice and shows promise as a strategy to slow aging in humans.

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  • Clearing out senescent cells can extend healthspan by 25% in mice. Great summary of current state of research on senescence! www.scientificamerican.com
    Cancer Senescence Aging

    Cellular senescence is so important when we discuss aging and cancer because as our cells accumulate damage, which naturally happens as we age there are only so many outcomes that we can expect. The first possibility is that the cells can die. The next is that they can become senescent where they stop dividing but stay alive all-the-while secreting molecules that influence surrounding tissue… or the worst of all possible outcomes, the cells can really go off the rails and become malignant. Accumulating senescent cells is inevitable but there are varying strategies of how to tackle senescence and this is of great interest to the field of aging. There are ways to clear out senescent cells with drugs or even dietary and lifestyle interventions. Not only are there ways to kill senescent cells, there are also ways to influence what sort of molecules they produce, possibly limiting the inflammatory ones… even without killing them. To learn more about this…watch the episode of my podcast with Dr. Judy Campisi. She talks about the role of cellular senescence in the aging process and cancer, what causes senescence, and how viable lifestyle interventions (ie. fasting) and certain compounds (ie. senolytics) that can clear senescent cells may be plausible life extension strategies. Campisi episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adg3vUez3EU

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