de Magalhães João Pedro
Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, College of Medicine and Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Nat Cell Biol. 2025 Jul 1. doi: 10.1038/s41556-025-01698-7.
Ageing is a complex biological process whose underlying mechanisms remain contentious. Nonetheless, due to an ageing global population and the rising incidence of age-related diseases, understanding why we age is one of the most important scientific questions of our time, with profound medical implications. Here, I explore the fundamental nature of the ageing process and provide an overview of modern mechanistic theories. I critically examine two main groups of ageing theories: error-based and program-based theories. I discuss the relevance of these theories in the context of ageing patterns, genetic manipulations and longevity drugs, highlighting how experimental challenges and technological limitations have hindered progress. Overall, there is a pressing and unmet need for a robust theoretical framework in ageing research. Elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of ageing would be crucial for developing effective interventions that slow the ageing process and prevent its associated diseases.
衰老 是一个复杂的生物学过程，其潜在机制仍存在争议。尽管如此，由于全球人口老龄化以及与年龄相关疾病的发病率不断上升，弄清楚我们衰老的原因是我们这个时代最重要的科学问题之一，具有深远的医学意义。在此，我探讨衰老过程的基本性质，并概述现代机制理论。我批判性地审视了两大类衰老理论：基于错误的理论和基于程序的理论。我在衰老模式、基因操纵和长寿药物的背景下讨论了这些理论的相关性，强调了实验挑战和技术限制如何阻碍了进展。总体而言，衰老研究迫切需要一个强大的理论框架，但尚未得到满足。阐明衰老的细胞和分子机制对于开发有效的干预措施以减缓衰老过程并预防其相关疾病至关重要。
