More evidence for the benefits of senescent cell removal emerges, as research suggests targeted clearance can alleviate osteoarthritis in mice

A plethora of studies now suggests senescent cells are a strong contributor to the age-related disease and the aging process itself. In light of this work multiple laboratories and now companies are striving to develop novel methods to target and destroy these old inflammatory cells. An international team has now demonstrated the validity of a new senolytic drug (senescent cell clearing) in mice - showing that its application was able to reduce osteoarthritis (OA) development and induce joint repair.

Linking senescence to OA

To mimic injury the researchers cut ligaments in old and young mice. They then provided the mice with the new pharmacological agent called UBX0101 . Perhaps unsurprisingly, application of UBX0101 proved able to reduce post-injury OA development and induce increased joint repair in comparison to your average old mouse.

To verify some of these findings the international research team also tested the drug on human chondrocytes (cartilage cells) from patients with arthritis. The results suggest that this drug or a similar variant could be beneficial in humans after going through the translation process. The team included scientists from Unity Biotechnology, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen and the University of California, Berkeley.

Read more at Science Daily

Read the study at Nature