Sickle-cell disease prematurely ages mouse stem cells; drugs reverse it
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A mouse study has found that sickle-cell disease causes blood-forming stem cells to show signs of chronic stress, DNA damage and premature ageing. Existing cancer drugs and anti-ageing treatments can reverse these signs, according to the findings published in Nature.
Stem-Cell Ageing
Scientists studying mice with sickle-cell disease observed that hematopoietic stem cells exhibited chronic stress, DNA damage, and premature ageing. The stem cells showed impaired function and accumulated damage similar to that seen in elderly mice. This suggests the disease triggers a premature ageing process in the blood-forming system. The study, published in Nature, provides the first direct evidence linking sickle-cell disease to stem-cell ageing in a mammalian model.
Reversal by Drugs
The researchers tested two classes of existing drugs—cancer therapies and senolytics—and found they could reverse the premature ageing signs in stem cells. Treatments that target DNA damage repair pathways or clear senescent cells restored stem-cell function in mice. These findings open the possibility of repurposing approved cancer therapies for sickle-cell disease patients to prevent stem-cell exhaustion.
What's Next
Clinical trials will be needed to determine whether these treatments can safely prevent stem-cell ageing in patients. It remains unclear how long the protective effect lasts or whether long-term drug use could cause side effects in humans.
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Sickle-cell disease prematurely ages mouse stem cells; drugs reverse it
