Inside the bone marrow of sickle cell patients, even the youngest among them, blood stem cells carry the molecular weight of old age — a biological paradox that researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have now begun to unravel. The relentless demand placed on these cells by the disease accelerates their aging, explaining long-observed but poorly understood patterns of stem cell failure and blood cancers in this population. Scientists have found that senolytic drugs, compounds designed to clear away cells trapped in a state of senescence, can restore the blood-forming capacity of t
Senolytic drugs reverse premature aging of sickle cell blood stem cells
Sickle cell disease affects an estimated 7 million people worldwide, causing chronic complications including organ damage and reduced life expectancy.