King’s College in London, UK has been awarded a grant to investigate the role of senescent cells, which accumulate as we age, in the context of the heart and how using a therapy to remove them influences its ability to recover from injury.

What are senescent cells?

As you age, increasing numbers of your cells enter into a state known as senescence. Senescent cells do not divide or support the tissues of which they are part; instead, they emit a range of potentially harmful chemical signals that encourage nearby healthy cells to enter the same senescent state. Their presence causes many problems: they reduce tissue repair, increase chronic inflammation, and can even eventually raise the risk of cancer and other age-related diseases.