Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Category: life extension

Functional Features of Senescent Cells and Implications for Therapy

Cellular senescence is a key mechanism of aging. Senescent cells negatively affect the function of tissues and organs, significantly contributimg to the aging of the organism. Functional and structural characteristics of senescent cells, such as genomic changes and cell cycle arrest, lysosome and mitochondrial dysfunction, and production of SASP factors, are promising therapeutic targets in the context of healthy longevity. The present review was designed to characterize the features of senescent cells in order to discuss current methods and problems of geroprotective therapy and perspective factors for the development of new strategies of anti-aging treatment. Publications were searched based on the analysis of articles containing the keywords “senescent cells, aging, senolytic therapy, SASP, mitochondrial dysfunction” in the PubMed and Scopus databases up to March 2025.

Surprise Discovery About Sugar in The Brain Could Help Fight Alzheimer’s

Stores of glucose in the brain could play a much more significant role in the pathological degeneration of neurons than scientists realized, opening the way to new treatments for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s is a tauopathy; a condition characterized by harmful build-ups of tau proteins inside neurons. It’s not clear, however, if these build-ups are a cause or a consequence of the disease. A new study now adds important detail by revealing significant interactions between tau and glucose in its stored form of glycogen.

Led by a team from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in the US, the research sheds new light on the functions of glycogen in the brain. Before now, it’s only been regarded as an energy backup for the liver and the muscles.

Shape-shifting particles allow temperature control over fluid flow and stiffness

Imagine a liquid that flows freely one moment, then stiffens into a near-solid the next, and then can switch back with a simple change in temperature. Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and NYU Tandon have now developed such a material, using tiny particles that can change their shape and stiffness on demand.

Their , “Tunable shear thickening, aging, and rejuvenation in suspensions of shape-memory endowed liquid crystalline particles,” published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrates a new way to regulate how dense suspensions—mixtures of solid particles in a fluid—behave under stress.

These new particles are made from liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), a material that combines the structure of liquid crystals with the flexibility of rubber. When heated or cooled, the particles change shape: they soften and become round at higher temperatures, and stiffen into irregular, angular forms at lower ones. This change has a dramatic effect on how the flows.

Open House

Have you heard about the crazy guys who bought an entire tower to convert it into a vertical village? Yes, that’s us.

Do you want to walk the 16-floor tower and explore the space? Still on the fence, if you should become a citizen? Do you have questions about how you can get involved and co-create? Wanna hear updates on what happened in the last 2 weeks? This event is for you! 👩‍🚀

About us: We are transforming a 16-floor tower in the heart of San Francisco into a self-governed vertical village —a hub for frontier technologies and creative arts. 8 themed floors will be dedicated to creating tier-one labs, spanning AI, Ethereum, biotech, neuroscience, longevity, robotics, human flourishing, and arts & music. These floors will house innovators and creators pushing the boundaries of human potential in a post-AI-singularity world.

Mimicking the benefits of exercise with a single molecule

Capital Medical University, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, reports that betaine, a molecule produced in the kidney and enhanced through sustained exercise, operates as a potent inhibitor of inflammatory and aging-related pathways.

Regular physical activity boosts health across cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological systems. Scientists have traced improvements in , , clearing of senescent cells and to consistent physical activity. Earlier animal studies suggested that long-term exercise can delay aging processes and reduce vulnerability to chronic disease.

Precise molecular explanations for how sustained exercise reshapes human biology remain incomplete. Many investigations have focused on single biomarkers or isolated tissues, leaving a need for systematic maps that can connect exercise to measurable physiological benefits. Specific factors capable of mimicking exercise’s protective effects without requiring continuous physical exertion have remained unclear.