Selective anti-cancer agents as anti-aging drugs

Area of Science:

• Biogerontology
• Cancer Biology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Key signaling molecules, including Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), Ras, MEK, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 1/2 (TSC1/2), Forkhead box O (FOXO), Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR), Ribosomal S6 Kinase (S6K), and Nuclear Factor kappa B (NFκB), are implicated in the aging process.
• These same signaling molecules are recognized as crucial targets in cancer therapy, with several anti-cancer drugs already developed against them.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential repurposing of existing anti-cancer drugs for anti-aging interventions.
• To investigate the feasibility of targeting shared molecular pathways in both aging and cancer.
• To highlight the advantages of applying cancer therapeutics to normal aging cells, circumventing resistance mechanisms seen in cancer.

Main Methods:

• Review and analysis of existing scientific literature on signaling pathways involved in aging and cancer.
• Identification of molecular targets common to both aging and cancer.
• Evaluation of the potential for existing anti-cancer drugs to modulate aging pathways.

Main Results:

• A significant overlap exists between molecular pathways regulating aging and those implicated in cancer.
• Anti-cancer drugs targeting these shared pathways could potentially be repurposed for anti-aging strategies.
• Unlike cancer therapy, targeting normal postmitotic cells for aging deceleration is expected to bypass issues of resistance and heterogeneity.

Conclusions:

• The shared molecular underpinnings of aging and cancer present a unique opportunity for therapeutic intervention.
• Repurposing anti-cancer drugs at low doses may offer a viable strategy to decelerate aging and mitigate age-related diseases.
• Slowing the aging process could potentially delay the onset of age-related diseases, including cancer.