Scientists may have discovered the reason why we age

2025-06-08 10:03:00, Shëndeti CNA

Scientists believe they have discovered the reason why we age. Stopping cell death could slow the aging process, prevent cancer and ward off brain deterioration, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Cambridge.

Curbing cell necrosis could be the key. Necrosis is a form of disordered cell death that wreaks havoc in the body, spilling toxins and causing widespread tissue damage. According to the study findings, if necrosis could be controlled, we would have a valuable tool to slow aging and treat diseases more successfully.

The new study, published in the journal Oncogene, claims that necrosis is a “fundamental driver of loss of resistance and biological decline.” The challenge is to find ways to intervene and stop this irreversible cause of biological degeneration. Until now, necrosis has remained untreatable and considered an inevitable aspect of biology, according to the study authors.

The scientists, led by Carina Kern, founder of LinkGevity, a UK-based biotechnology company, claim that inhibiting necrosis could revolutionize treatments for acute and chronic age-related conditions such as cancer, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and even neurodegeneration. This revolutionary approach would also strengthen resilience and slow the aging process itself.

“Necrosis is uncontrolled cell death that marks the irreversible threshold of biological degeneration,” the authors write. It is characterized by cellular chaos including ruptured membranes, DNA fragments, and inflammatory signals in surrounding tissues. This damaging process of cell death is different from the carefully orchestrated everyday death of old, damaged, or infected cells called apoptosis, which is a highly controlled and refined process.

The study authors said that necrosis could hinder cancer treatments. Necrosis helps aggressive tumor growth by promoting the growth of new blood vessels along with genetic instability and immune dysfunction. This is particularly true in breast, kidney, prostate and endometrial cancers.

Necrosis is also a destructive force in almost every age-related disease, including kidney disease, heart attack, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Scientists have found that necrosis is a central driver of aging itself, as our cells become more susceptible to necrosis with age.

Researchers suggest that developing new therapies to target necrosis could slow biological degeneration and strengthen resistance. This approach could revolutionize treatments for chronic diseases such as cancer, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration.

One possible approach would be to target the calcium imbalance that causes necrotic cell death, the study says. However, previous attempts to block calcium channels in other diseases such as stroke have failed.

While specific treatments have not yet been detailed, understanding and inhibiting necrosis could pave the way for innovative therapies. The payoff could be immense, conquering one of the "last frontiers in medicine - a devastating process long accepted as untreatable and inevitable," the authors write./ CNA