Technology Reveals Cells Linked to... Aging Diseases
Researchers at MIT develop a non-invasive technique to identify senescent cells using Raman microscopy.
Translated by Qiyas from الراي — Original source
Reuters – Researchers have developed a non-invasive method to identify and study cells in the body that contribute to age-related disorders, such as cancer, tissue degeneration, and inflammatory diseases.
Although these cells, known as senescent cells, stop dividing and growing, they do not die as expected for aged cells. Instead, they undergo significant changes in shape, metabolic processes, and genetic activity.
In a report on the study published in the journal Nature Edge, the researchers noted that previous methods for studying these cells tended to destroy them.
By using an analytical technique called Raman microscopy, which reveals the biochemical composition of cells without damaging them, along with single-cell genetic activity analysis, the researchers were able to identify unique “signatures” of senescent cells.
The study was conducted on mouse cells, and the researchers are currently adapting the technique for use with human tissues.
“Geon Wong Kang from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the study’s senior authors, said in a statement, “It is conceivable that we may one day develop an endoscope capable of looking inside the body and identifying senescent cells.”
The researchers explained that while cellular senescence causes skin sagging and muscle weakness in the elderly, it also plays useful and vital roles in embryonic development and tissue regeneration.
Su said, “The idea behind the National Institutes of Health’s Cellular Senescence Network is to adopt a highly comprehensive approach to understanding aging and identifying senescent cells, because they play a role in a large number of normal physiological conditions and many pathological conditions.”
