SENESCENCE

Nutrients and oxygen are the fuel used by our cells to produce the necessary energy needed for their specific functions, including anti-bodies creation to neutralise pathogens, oxygen transport and cancer protection among others.

Throughout our lifespan, our cells become less functional as they accumulate errors due to biological and environmental stressors such as oxidative stress, DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetic errors that eventually lead to telomere attrition and vice versa. Indeed, there is a synergistic effect between telomere shortening and the other biological stressors, that subsequently results in cell damage over time. Such cellular damage leads to a phenomenon known as cellular senescence.

Senescence is the process by which a damaged (pathological) cell permanently stops dividing but does not die. Such cells acquire a senescence-associated secretory phenotype, characterized by releasing large quantities of harmful substances such as pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that cause senescence in their neighbouring cells and eventually throughout the body.

Ineffective immune surveillance, over time, leads to the build up of a large number of senescent cells in tissues. When they reach a critical mass, they cause inflammation and damage leading to fibrosis and tissue degeneration which drives age-related diseases. Therefore, senescence assessment and quantification is crucial for understanding age related diseases and developing senolytic treatments and interventions targeting them.

Removal of senescent cells dramatically ameliorates disease pathologies in many age-related conditions, leading to overall improvements in health span. Telomere attrition is the main biomarker of cellular senescence. BEYOND GENOMiX leverages its world leading telomere analysis technologies, in combination with proprietary pipeline of senescence biomarkers including cells morphological changes in order to assess and quantify senescence in age related diseases.