
Age 50 might be inflexion point after which ageing accelerates, blood vessels vulnerable: Study
The findings, published in the journal Cell, add to evidence emerging from analysing proteins from humans to understand ageing processes, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences said.
A study published last year in August in the journal Nature Ageing showed that ages 44 and 60 might be when a human body experiences changes in molecules and microbes, significantly impacting heart and immune function.
The 'Cell' study looked at over 500 samples from 13 human tissues taken from organs across the body's systems, including the cardiovascular, immune and digestive. Proteomics, or a large-scale study of proteins, was applied to examine the samples that had aged over a period of 50 years.
Results 'revealed an ageing inflexion around age 50, with blood vessels being a tissue that ages early and is markedly susceptible to ageing.' Further, based on changes in the proteins due to ageing, the authors have developed protein-based age clocks and charted the ageing trajectories of varied organs.
The findings also highlighted an early and pronounced ageing of the aorta — a major artery that carries blood from the heart to branch arteries — which the authors said was critical to the ageing of blood vessels and in initiating ageing across the body by interacting with other organs and blood.
'We introduce protein-based ageing clocks and dynamic ageing trajectories for human organs, illuminating their biological age and disease risks,' the team wrote.
They added, 'Our study highlights the early and pronounced ageing of the aorta, underscoring the critical role of vascular senescence in initiating systemic ageing through its extensive interactions with other organs and blood components.'

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Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Age 50 might be inflexion point after which ageing accelerates, blood vessels vulnerable: Study
Analysing samples of human tissues across five decades, researchers have found that age 50 might be an inflexion point, after which ageing accelerates — blood vessels age early and are markedly vulnerable, they said. The findings, published in the journal Cell, add to evidence emerging from analysing proteins from humans to understand ageing processes, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences said. A study published last year in August in the journal Nature Ageing showed that ages 44 and 60 might be when a human body experiences changes in molecules and microbes, significantly impacting heart and immune function. The 'Cell' study looked at over 500 samples from 13 human tissues taken from organs across the body's systems, including the cardiovascular, immune and digestive. Proteomics, or a large-scale study of proteins, was applied to examine the samples that had aged over a period of 50 years. Results 'revealed an ageing inflexion around age 50, with blood vessels being a tissue that ages early and is markedly susceptible to ageing.' Further, based on changes in the proteins due to ageing, the authors have developed protein-based age clocks and charted the ageing trajectories of varied organs. The findings also highlighted an early and pronounced ageing of the aorta — a major artery that carries blood from the heart to branch arteries — which the authors said was critical to the ageing of blood vessels and in initiating ageing across the body by interacting with other organs and blood. 'We introduce protein-based ageing clocks and dynamic ageing trajectories for human organs, illuminating their biological age and disease risks,' the team wrote. They added, 'Our study highlights the early and pronounced ageing of the aorta, underscoring the critical role of vascular senescence in initiating systemic ageing through its extensive interactions with other organs and blood components.'


The Hindu
10 hours ago
- The Hindu
Scientists use AI-designed proteins to generate immune cells
A team of Harvard scientists has used artificial intelligence (AI), in the form of AI-designed proteins, to generate large numbers of immune cells and enhance immunity against diseases ranging from cancer to viral infections, a new research paper published in Cell said. The scientists engineered a synthetic activator of a key cellular pathway called Notch signalling, which plays a crucial role in cellular differentiation and is essential for transforming human immune progenitors into T cells. Notch signalling is a cell-to-cell communication system vital for various developmental processes and tissue homeostasis in multicellular organisms. Homeostasis is the body's way of keeping everything balanced and stable, despite what is happening around it. 'In response to viral infections or cancer, the body requires a higher production of T cells to mount an effective immune defence. However, this process depends on the activation of the Notch signalling pathway, for which no effective molecular activators have been available,' Rubul Mout from Assam, the principal scientist of the study, said. Associated with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and the Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology Program at Boston Children's Hospital, he is one of 24 scientists involved in the collaborative effort. They include George Daley, the Dean of Harvard Medical School, and Nobel laureate David Baker. Improved method According to the study, an earlier method of activating Notch signalling in laboratory settings by immobilising Notch ligands on tissue culture dishes is not applicable for therapeutic use in humans. The quest for a viable, soluble activator of Notch signalling that could work in vivo (inside a living body) made the team develop a library of custom-designed soluble Notch agonists and systematically test their ability to activate the Notch pathway and support T cell development and function. AI-driven protein design technologies, an innovation that contributed to Dr Baker receiving the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, were used to address the challenge. Using the agonists, the researchers demonstrated the large-scale generation of T cells in a laboratory bioreactor, an important advancement given the growing demand for T cell production in hospitals worldwide for Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell-based cancer immunotherapies. Furthermore, when the agonists were injected into mice during vaccination, the animals displayed significantly improved T cell responses, indicating an enhanced immune response. The treatment resulted in increased production of memory T cells, which are crucial for the long-term impact of vaccines. 'Being able to activate Notch signalling opens up tremendous opportunities in immunotherapy, vaccine development, and immune cell regeneration,' Dr Mout said. 'What excites me the most is using this technology to engineer synthetic proteins that simultaneously bridge T cells and cancer cells, boost T cell-mediated killing, and neutralise the immunosuppressive tumour micro-environment. Our goal is to develop next-generation immunotherapies and cancer vaccines,' he added. The other collaborators of the study include Urban Lendahl of the Stockholm-based Karolinska Institutet and a former Chairman of the Physiology and Medicine Nobel Committee, Stephen C. Blacklow, the Chair of Harvard Medical School's Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, and R. Grant Rowe of Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.


Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Age 50 might be inflexion point after which ageing accelerates, blood vessels vulnerable: Study
New Delhi: Analysing samples of human tissues across five decades, researchers have found that age 50 might be an inflexion point, after which ageing accelerates -- blood vessels age early and are markedly vulnerable, they said. The findings, published in the journal Cell, add to evidence emerging from analysing proteins from humans to understand ageing processes, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences said. A study published last year in August in the journal Nature Ageing showed that ages 44 and 60 might be when a human body experiences changes in molecules and microbes, significantly impacting heart and immune function. The 'Cell' study looked at over 500 samples from 13 human tissues taken from organs across the body's systems, including the cardiovascular, immune and digestive. Proteomics, or a large-scale study of proteins, was applied to examine the samples that had aged over a period of 50 years. Results "revealed an ageing inflexion around age 50, with blood vessels being a tissue that ages early and is markedly susceptible to ageing." Further, based on changes in the proteins due to ageing, the authors have developed protein-based age clocks and charted the ageing trajectories of varied organs. The findings also highlighted an early and pronounced ageing of the aorta -- a major artery that carries blood from the heart to branch arteries -- which the authors said was critical to the ageing of blood vessels and in initiating ageing across the body by interacting with other organs and blood. "We introduce protein-based ageing clocks and dynamic ageing trajectories for human organs, illuminating their biological age and disease risks," the team wrote. They added, "Our study highlights the early and pronounced ageing of the aorta, underscoring the critical role of vascular senescence in initiating systemic ageing through its extensive interactions with other organs and blood components." PTI KRS HIG