At the biological level, aging results from the impact of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. This leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, a growing risk of disease and ultimately death.
The World Health Organization (WHO)
Aging is not just an issue of individual decline – it impacts our economy, our approach to medicine, and so much more. By 2030, 1 in 6 people will be over the age of 60 and we must find ways to support healthy aging in order to meet societal needs.
What if stem cells are the key to preventing age-related health problems? The promise of living longer, healthier lives may lie in current research into what causes aging at the cellular and molecular level.
In this installment of A Closer Look, Robert A.J. Signer, Ph.D., and Shiri Gur-Cohen, Ph.D., examine the aging process, how we might “trick” stem cells into thinking and behaving as if they are young, and how our approach to research should change to maximize human health span for the greater good.