Senolytic Therapy
What is senolytic therapy?
When exposed to various stresses, the cells will function abnormally due to the accumulation of DNA damages.
Our body has a mechanism that leads these abnormally functioning cells resort to suicide (apoptosis*1); however, some abnormally functioning cells become senescent cells without disappearing, and they remain in the body.
*1 Programmed cell death that leads to suicide of abnormal cells. This system keeps our body in a better condition, by preventing the cells from becoming cancerous.
Although senescent cells had been considered innocuous cells that have simply lost their ability to proliferate, recent research has shown that senescent cells release a variety of harmful substances, which promote aging of surrounding cells and cause a decline in organ function.
Senescent cells are usually eliminated by the immune system; however, when the immune function is decreased or impaired due to aging, it becomes difficult to eliminate them, and they gradually accumulate in the body.
The accumulated senescent cells release harmful substances to adversely affect the functions of the surrounding normal cells, causing cancer and various aging-related diseases (e.g. arteriosclerosis), chronic diseases (obesity, diabetes, etc.), and dementia.
The “senolytic therapy” is the new method developed to suppress cell aging by removing senescent cells and to prevent/appease various aging-related diseases, chronic diseases, dementia, and muscular weakness.
Removal of senescent cells slows the changes associated with aging, such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes, loss of muscle mass, and cataract, and is expected to prolong a healthy lifespan.
It also reduces neurodegeneration and is effective against dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.
In the skin’s dermis, the fibroblasts produce collagen to keep the skin firm and radiant; as the fibroblasts age, their ability to produce collagen declines, and the released harmful substances promote skin aging.
“Senolytic therapy” is also expected to prevent skin aging.
Senolytic Therapy at NEO Clinic Tokyo
At NEO Clinic Tokyo, we provide a tailored senolytic therapy to prevent various aging-related diseases and lifestyle-related diseases, thus inhibiting and treating cancer. It also prolongs the healthy lifespan of all people including cancer patients or is a part of risk management (allowing business continuity) following the basic policy of “precision medicine.”
In this therapy, several drugs and supplements mainly consisting of dasatinib, a senescent cell death inducer, and quercetin are combined, depending on each patient’s physical condition and laboratory data.
References
Senolytic Therapy Options
We provide tailored treatment by appropriately combining the following therapies, according to each patient’s physical condition.
Examples of treatment options
| Molecular targeted therapy | Removal of senescent cells by drugs or supplements |
| Immune function activation therapy | Improvement of intestinal flora by drugs and supplements |
| Therapy to improve mitochondrial function | Activation of energy sensor “AMPK*1” |
| NMN*2 augmentation therapy | Activation of the longevity gene group and mitochondrial function |
*¹：Acts as a master switch for metabolism that helps muscles convert glucose and fat into energy. An important factor that controls aging.
*²：One of the ingredients found in vitamin B3. It decreases with age, thus contributing to the onset of a geriatric disease.