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As cells age, they remain viable and continue their metabolic functions but can no longer divide, and, eventually, they self-destruct. Interestingly, before senescent cells die, they start making a variety of molecules — growth factors, cytokines, proteases, and others — that have harmful biological effects on the cells around them.
A team from Mayo Clinic developed transgenic mice in which cells carrying a particular senescence marker could be destroyed selectively by administration of a drug. These mice then were bred with mice that age prematurely. The resultant offspring suffered from premature aging, and their senescent cells could be eliminated rapidly at any time. When senescent cells were eliminated constantly, starting at a young ag…