There has been a big increase in human lifespan observed in the last decades but no corresponding extension of healthspan, which results in a massive population of elderly people suffering from a vast range of diseases. Common factors to all age-related diseases are tissue degeneration and chronic inflammation. These morbid characteristics are largely considered to be caused by a specific type of aged cells that are genetically reprogrammed to release molecules inflicting damage on their neighbours. Induced by stress, they become resistant to cell death and stop dividing and producing new cells.

The clearance of these cells, called senescent cells, from tissues and organs has dramatic regenerative effects and leads to rejuvenation of physiological function and extension of healthspan in old animals. This intervention improves viability on molecular, cellular, tissue and organismal level in mice after chemotherapy and even normal ageing.

We are investigating whether pathfinder cell microvesicles, a unique class of extracellular vesicles, which are previously shown to have tissue regenerative effects, are able to kill off the senescent cells by activating cell death genes.