Growing older brings a higher risk of serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and dementia. For years, researchers have tackled these conditions individually. Now, many scientists are stepping back to ask a broader question. Instead of treating diseases one by one, could slowing the aging process reduce the risk of several at once? To answer that, they first need to understand what sparks the biological changes that come with age.
A new study published in Science offers an unprecedented look at that process. Researchers at The Rockefeller University built the most detailed atlas so far of how aging affects thousands of cell subtypes across 21 mammalian tissues. By examining nearly 7 million individual cells from mice at three different ages, the team identified which cells are most vulnerable over time and what factors may be driving their decline.
"Our goal was to understand not just what changes with aging, but why," says Junyue Cao, who heads the Laboratory of Single Cell Genomics and Population Dynamics. "By mapping both cellular and molecular changes, we can identify what drives aging. That opens the door to interventions that target the aging process itself."
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