Photo: Jana Sabeth, Unsplash
Life expectancy in developed countries has increased dramatically during the 20th century following control of infectious diseases and more nutritious diet. However, incidence of aged-related diseases such as cancer, late-onset obesity (which can lead to over 10 different cancers), has
increased markedly.
Ageing is now the greatest risk factor for many life-threatening disorders, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration. Notably, both old age and conventional cancer therapies increase the burden of worn-out or senescent cells of the body, which enhance the chances of cancer relapse.
Caring Cancer Trust is a founder member of the University of Manchester’s Beyer Circle of Philanthropy. The charity now joins the University in funding novel anti-ageing senolytic treatment research by Professor Ian and Dr. Lynne Hampson’s at Ravan Bio, the University’s spin-out research Company.
Professor Ian Hampson and Dr. Lynne Hampson, at the new Ravan Bio laboratory.
This senotherapeutic research will improve survival from
existing cancers in all age groups, reducing the impact of accumulated senescent cells on cancer. Such research results will also positively impact a wide range of other human diseases.
Both obesity and ageing are associated with are associated with increased cellular senescence, which is a stress-response process whereby cells do not divide or die. Instead, they produce the Senescence Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP), which is a collection of different signalling molecules with promote chronic inflammation.
Senescent cells are known to build up in multiple chronic diseases across the whole age range. Long-term persistence of just a few of these cells disrupts the body’s tissue structure and function, causing chronic inflammation which results in cancer as well as fibrosis and other dysfunctions of the ageing body.
As well as funding research into new anti-ageing, anti-cancer combinations of drugs and diet, Caring Cancer Trust’s programme is now promoting anti-cancer diet and nutrition per se.
Bad diet and nutrition cause up to 25% of cancers worldwide; estimate researchers. Obesity caused by a high calorie diet and lack of physical activity at any age could account for up to 15% of cancers, whereas about 5% may be attributable to alcohol and another 5% to specific dietary factors, (over- indulgence in red meat, saturated fat, etc).
National Library of Medicine – Senolytic Drugs: from discovery to translation
Discover – A New Weapon in the War on Ageing
National Library of Medicine – Nutritional epidemiology and
cancer
The Lancet – Emerging therapeutic strategies to combat
cancer risk in senescence.
Keywords: cancer, senolytic drugs, senescence, obesity,
ageing, University of Manchester, diet, nutrition, alcohol,
Professor Ian Hampson,Dr. Lynne Hampson, Senescence
Associated Secretory Phenotype
