Senescence describes the complex cellular response to stress that includes irreversible arrest of the cell cycle and thus prevention of the proliferation of defective or damaged cells. This effect makes senescence a key component in the body’s tumor suppression response and initialization of repair pathways, providing a health-promoting mechanism. Conversely, senescent cells can accumulate in the affected tissues of persons with age-related diseases such as dementias, arthritis, atherosclerosis, and others—such accumulation is considered a hallmark of aging that drives many age-related pathologies. These seemingly contradictory roles make cellular senescence an interesting research target for developing cancer suppression therapies as well as improving health maintenance and extending the human lifespan.
