Behind the Study: Drug Combo Targets Cancer & Senescent Cells, Extends Lifespan in Old Mice | Aging

Aging Editorial Board member Dr. Irina Conboy and Dr. Zachery Robinson from the Department of Bioengineering and QB3 Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, present their findings in the research paper, “Selective targeting of cancer and senescence via shared metabolic shifts extends lifespan of old mice.” #Aging #Lifespan #Presentation #Cancer #Senolytics #CellularSenescence #OpenAccess #PeerReviewed #Publishing #MedEd DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206399 Corresponding author - Irina M. Conboy - irina@generationlab.co Longevity & Aging Series interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wllQRXPq_sY Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p5JMvy9Twg Abstract Eliminating both senescent and cancer cells through pharmacological intervention presents a powerful therapeutic strategy against aging and tumor progression. Navitoclax has emerged as a promising candidate with both senolytic and antitumor activity, but its clinical application remains limited due to dose-dependent thrombocytopenia and tumor-specific resistance. To overcome these limitations, we combined dichloroacetate and metformin with a 10-fold reduced dose of Navitoclax (ABT-263) and show that this pharmacology, termed, DMA, selectively targets the metabolic vulnerabilities underlying senescent and malignant cells. We demonstrate that DMA effectively ablates different types of senescent and cancer cells in vitro by exacerbating their defects in ATP production. Notably, the treatment is well tolerated by healthy human cells and in mice in vivo, and in fact improves the functional performance of aged mice after acute administration and extends lifespan after prolonged dosing. While the in vivo effects of DMA are yet to be fully explored, our findings suggest that it might represent a new, clinically viable way to combat cancer and senescence without toxicity to healthy cells and tissues. Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://aging.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Faging.206399 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Aging - https://www.aging-us.com/subscribe-to-toc-alerts Keywords - aging, senescence, cancer, metabolic shift, ATP To learn more about the journal, please visit https://www.Aging-US.com​​ and connect with us on social media at: Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/aging-us.bsky.social ResearchGate - https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Aging-1945-4589 X - https://twitter.com/AgingJrnl Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AgingUS/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/agingjrnl/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aging/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/AgingUS/ Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/AgingUS/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Aging-US Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1X4HQQgegjReaf6Mozn6Mc MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM