Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; email:
Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 2023 Jun 8;25:363-385. doi: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-120122-123054.
The process of aging manifests from a highly interconnected network of biological cascades resulting in the degradation and breakdown of every living organism over time. This natural development increases risk for numerous diseases and can be debilitating. Academic and industrial investigators have long sought to impede, or potentially reverse, aging in the hopes of alleviating clinical burden, restoring functionality, and promoting longevity. Despite widespread investigation, identifying impactful therapeutics has been hindered by narrow experimental validation and the lack of rigorous study design. In this review, we explore the current understanding of the biological mechanisms of aging and how this understanding both informs and limits interpreting data from experimental models based on these mechanisms. We also discuss select therapeutic strategies that have yielded promising data in these model systems with potential clinical translation. Lastly, we propose a unifying approach needed to rigorously vet current and future therapeutics and guide evaluation toward efficacious therapies.
衰老是一个高度互联的生物学级联过程的体现，随着时间的推移，导致每个生物体的降解和崩溃。这种自然的发展增加了许多疾病的风险，并且可能使人衰弱。学术和工业研究人员长期以来一直试图阻止或可能逆转衰老，以期减轻临床负担、恢复功能和促进长寿。尽管进行了广泛的研究，但由于实验验证范围狭窄和缺乏严格的研究设计，确定有影响的治疗方法一直受到阻碍。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了对衰老生物学机制的当前理解，以及这种理解如何为基于这些机制的实验模型中的数据解释提供信息并限制其解释。我们还讨论了一些治疗策略，这些策略在这些模型系统中产生了有前途的数据，具有潜在的临床转化。最后，我们提出了一个统一的方法，需要严格检验当前和未来的治疗方法，并指导评估有效的治疗方法。
