Why is there so much doubt around the aging field?
Take a minute and consider what comes to mind when you think of the aging field.
For some, it might simply be aging creams and supplements. For others, the image of elderly homes comes to mind. Yet the grand majority tends to think of a mad scientist slouched over a dark science lab desperately using pseudoscience to discover the cure to living forever!
Let me be the first to tell you that none of these accurately capture the innovative and progressive aging field that exists today! Let’s set some things straight.
Fiction vs. Reality
Though the aging field might seem like a really fancy name for immortality research, it isn’t!
Instead, the aging field aims to grasp a deeper understanding of the changing processes and the development of diseases that are especially prevalent in older ages.
Think about it: our body is constantly changing. From birth to youth, to puberty, to adulthood, our body experiences an enormous amount of growth and changes, including everything from hormonal and molecular changes, to the way we look.
So it is not a surprise that our body experiences a myriad of them when we grow into the later ages.
Aging researchers have divided aging into two main aspects: chronological aging, also known as the number of years you have lived for, and biological age which is slightly more complex. Think of biological age as a more personal internal age that is dictated by biomarkers that reflect health.
For example, a really unhealthy 22-year-old who excessively drinks, smokes, and suffers from immunocompromising diseases is indeed chronologically younger than a healthy active 32-year-old adult who doesn’t drink, smoke, live with diseases. However, their biological ages might reflect a switched measure. Researchers specifically focus on biological age and often the biomarkers mentioned above.
What are different subareas within aging?
Just like any area in science, there is so much nuance and creativity around what is studied that all contribute to our understanding of biological age. And though I can’t cover every aspect focused around aging (though that would be fun!) I can for sure give you examples of the most prevalent and widespread ones.
So far, a lot of what we have been talking about has centered around epigenetics. This is because epigenetics specifically looks at the genetic changes that occur as a result of aging. Much of the research done on aging fits within its umbrella.
Damage Repair
Damage repair takes a similar perspective of aging, specifically looking at DNA. DNA is the genetic material found in all of our cells. When our cells divide, our DNA is replicated; during this process, it is possible that mismatch base-pair and other related mistakes occur which is why we have specific mechanisms and pathways that correct these mutations.
As we age, these mechanisms become less and less efficient, leading to an accumulation of mutations and damage that is hypothesized to be a key factor of aging.
Scientists such as Aubrey DeGray are looking at excitedly this. Apart from his successful research and career on several scientific boards, Aubrey DeGray is a biomedical gerontologist who is most well known for the founding of the SENS Research Foundation whose main goal is “to repair the damage of aging at the level where it occurs.” Some key targets SENS intends to target include extracellular aggregates and cell autophagy.
Neurodegenerative diseases
77% of older adults experience at least two chronic diseases including heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) such as dementia are unfortunately among the leading causes of disability amounting to at least 50 million cases with around 10 million new cases each year.
NDs are characterized as progressive illnesses that result from the death of neurons often resulting in memory loss, motor movement, and speech which worsen with time. Scientists studying these illnesses look for changes in pathways that specifically lead to the death of the neurons. One of the most well-known examples is amyloid sheets which are hypothesized to act as “waste” that accumulates around neurons and impacting their ability to reproduce.
Apart from amyloid sheets, mitochondrial dysfunction, “waste disposal” mechanisms, accumulation of proteins and lipids, and inflammation are all areas that show great promise.
Eventually, therapies targeting these mechanisms aim to be developed.
Senescence
As I mentioned earlier, our cells replicate and divide. Each time our cells divide they copy a little less of the full strand they are supposed to, as a result risking losing valuable DNA information that could never be retrieved. Thankfully our bodies have found a solution: telomeres, also known as just filler DNA sequences at the end of chromosomes so that each time cells replicate a little of the telomere is lost instead. This process is called telomere attrition and the length of telomeres shorter with age.
So what happens when our chromosomes “run out” of telomeres? Usually, cells die as a result. What’s most surprising is that there are cells called senescence cells that continue to survive regardless (which is why they are often called zombie genes)!
The past decade has brought forth more info on senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), a phenotype that is linked to senescent cells that secrete molecules from inflammatory cytokine signals to growth factors. This change in the microenvironment and the direct impact they have in cells through receptors accounts for aging-related impacts.
Apart from aging, SASP is also being investigated for its impact on cancer development and progression; if you are interested in reading more, click here.
Understanding senescence is such a relatively new and intriguing area of aging.
What is going on right now?
Aging is a relatively fresh field, and every day brings more and more groundbreaking work!
As of currently, senescent cells are a hotspot for aging. Until recently, scientists thought of senescence as “zombie cells,” alive and silent. New data though is showing that senescence cells appear to be everything but silent, releasing signals that are indicated to aging. This is why many in the field are trying to develop a better understanding of senescence and its impact on their cellular microenvironment. To do this, some are looking at differences between normal cells and senescence, while others are looking at senescence roles in specific functions and pathways.
Another area of interest in aging is the connection between the way we live and aging. For example, there is mounting evidence on the power of exercise, indicating a longer healthspan as a result of a lower probability of diabetes and heart disease, all the way to cognitive function.
If you are interested in learning about the programs funded by the National Insitute of Aging click here or programs featured by the American Federation of Aging Research here.
Why should you care?
Now I’m sure some of you might think “blah blah blah but Andri, I am very far from old age” or “I’ll worry about it later ”. And though that might be true, one this is clear, we all age some time or another! So why shouldn’t we do all that we can to make sure we remain healthy in the ages that are most biologically challenging for us?
These challenges are precisely what the aging field aims to understand! So every time you think of the aging field, I hope you can think of impactful science that will be there to help us in moments of need.
Until then, make sure you remain informed, healthy, and *age-ile*!
Key Takeaways:
- The aging field aims to grasp a better understanding of biological age and the changes our bodies experience in older ages.
- Subareas within aging include epigenetics, DNA repair, neurodegenerative diseases, and senescence cells.
- Current advancements in aging include the function of senescence cells, and lifestyle led impacts.
- Aging affects us all which is why learning more about it is key!
On a Personal Note:
In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” So thank you for reading my article and helping spread a bit of knowledge at a time.
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Happy New Year!
