Looking younger and radiant continues to be a top priority for many worldwide. As our society is focusing on looks and antiaging beauty products and procedures have become the norm, scientists have discovered a new anti-drug compound that can kill aging cells.
A group of researchers from the University of Leicester have been studying the use of senolytics as antiaging tools. These antibodies attack aging cells, and the therapy can be used to reduce the effects of aging. However, senolytics must be used only on senescent cells without attacking healthy ones.
An antibody-drug conjugate has been created to fight aging signs on the body
The authors of the study and researchers from countries such as Spain (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya in Spain), Nigeria (Cross River University of Technology in Nigeria), and Saudi Arabia (Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia) have managed to design a marker called the B2M. This antibody-drug conjugate indicated the presence of senescence cells. Then, a cytotoxic drug named duocarmycin is released into the senescence cells and kills them, leaving the healthy cells behind.
This study proves that senolytics can be used as weapons against aging cells, and more research is needed to identify possible side effects. One of the main authors of the study, Salvador Macip, declared about the new drug:
Senolytics are a new class of drugs with great potential to ameliorate aging.
However, the ones we have found so far are quite unspecific and thus may have strong side effects. That is why there is much interest in a second generation of drugs, the targeted senolytics, which should eliminate senescent cells without affecting the rest.
Copying an idea already in use in cancer therapies, we tweaked an antibody so it could recognise these cells and deliver a toxic cargo specifically into them.
The conclusion is that new treatments and therapies can help people look younger. Once a new drug is found, clinical trials and time will tell about possible side effects and the rate of effectiveness.