Grant: Project Grant

Studies into the removal of 'old' cells in mice have shown that this results in a stunning reversal of aging where the mice lived longer and healthier. These mice however were genetically engineered such that their 'old' cells can be triggered to die by ingesting an antibiotic drug. How can we find these 'old' cells in a normal mouse and ultimately human without the aid of such genetic manipulations? As it turns out, 'old' cells produce signals that can be tracked like the ringing signal of your cell phone in a dark room. This proposal is about engineering a cell to follow these signals to the 'old' cells. Once at the site, the engineered cell will release a biological chemical that kills the 'old' cells. The engineered cell has a suicide gene that converts a particular antiviral drug that is normally not toxic to a form that is very toxic. Hence, after ingesting the antiviral drug, the engineered cell will die. This type of therapeutic intervention is similar to what happens when the cells of our immune system are functioning at their best. Immune cells adeptly detect disease conditions and then respond specifically and locally to minimize side-effects.