How does aging work?
The most common theories suggest that, with time, cells in the human body go through a wear-and-tear process. However, current findings suggest that the significant damage to cells doesn't occur in a consistent way across the board, rather it happens to random groups of non-functioning cells, while the rest of the cells remain undamaged — "rotten apples."
Accordingly, research into potential treatments has focused on removing these few highly-damaged cells.
Bashan's study asks: how does it make sense that if different types and groups of cells are losing functionality in different people, that all humans showcase the same symptoms when they age: graying hair, wrinkling skin, and a general decline in functionality?
15 years ago, Professor Jan Vijg, Chair of Einstein's Genetics Department, answered this with a novel approach.
He suggested that proper cell function declines with age, not because of a significant collapse of single non-functioning cells, the "rotten apples," but rather because many cells lose their ability to regulate and coordinate their genes.
Bashan's study validates Vijg's theory with its research. His group analyzed data collected from six different global labs, which examine coordination levels among cells during aging, in a variety of different organisms: humans, mice, and fruit flies. They also specifically analyzed different types of cells: brain, pancreatic cells, among others.
The results confirmed that cells, across the board, consistently lose coordination when aging. The researchers additionally noted that an increased level of damage was observed with the coordination breakdown of cells and their genes.
Guy Amit, a member of Bashan's team, explained the novelty in their discovery, saying: "Finding evidence for coordination of genes was amazing, but even more outstanding was finding that this property of coordination dramatically declines with age."This could lead the way to new ways of thinking about aging treatments, with practical implications.