Zombie cells

Even if extending life expectancy doesn’t require our willing suspension of disbelief, figuring out the molecular biology of aging could hold the promise of people dying healthy.  And, with that newer knowledge, ameliorating cellular senescence could become a new medical goal.  “Briefly, cellular senescence is a process whereby cells stop dividing and go through phenotypic changes, such as secretome and chromatin changes in addition to tumor-suppressor activation. Senescent cells accumulate in several organs as we grow older, are involved in tissue dysfunction and implicated in numerous pathologies such as cancer. Therefore, they are generally considered to be a “hallmark” of aging and have earned the nickname “zombie” cells.”  This might be proteomics’ greatest contribution. MORE

Image Credit:  University of Minnesota