Chronological age represents the single greatest risk factor for human disease. One plausible explanation for this correlation is that mechanisms that drive ageing might also promote age-related diseases. Cellular senescence, which is a permanent state of cell cycle arrest induced by cellular stress, has recently emerged as a fundamental ageing mechanism that also contributes to diseases of late life, including cancer, atherosclerosis and osteoarthritis. Therapeutic strategies that safely interfere with the detrimental effects of cellular senescence, such as the selective elimination of senescent cells (SNCs) or the disruption of the SNC secretome, are gaining significant attention, with several programmes now nearing human clinical studies.

实际年龄代表人类疾病的单一最大风险因素。对于这种相关性的一个合理的解释是，驱动衰老的机制也可能促进与年龄相关的疾病。细胞衰老是由细胞应激引起的细胞周期停滞的永久状态，最近已成为一种基本的衰老机制，也会导致晚年疾病，包括癌症、动脉粥样硬化和骨关节炎。安全干扰细胞衰老有害影响的治疗策略，例如选择性消除衰老细胞 (SNC) 或破坏 SNC 分泌组，正在引起人们的广泛关注，多个项目现已接近人体临床研究。