Can targeting 'zombie' cells really slow down ageing?

Zombie cells are a hot topic in the scientific community, with groundbreaking research being conducted worldwide to find ways to halt their damaging and inflammatory effects

In the past decade, senescent cells have become an increasingly hot topic in worlds as diverse as cancer medicine, clinics treating fatty liver disease, and research centres exploring new ways to prevent frailty in later life.

Until recently, few outside the specialised world of ageing science had ever heard of senescent cells, the so-called “zombie cells”. These cells are located in organs and tissues throughout our bodies and stop dividing as normal but instead linger, refusing to die and perpetuating chronic inflammation.

In the past decade, senescent cells have become an increasingly hot topic in worlds as diverse as cancer medicine, clinics treating fatty liver disease, and research centres exploring new ways to prevent frailty in later life.