Exploiting a new vulnerability that targets 'zombie' cells as an anticancer therapy

A new set of drugs exploit a recently revealed weakness in "zombie-like"—or senescent—cells that could lead to new treatments for cancer and age-associated diseases. The study from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London shows that senescent cells walk a tightrope, risking cell death with high levels of iron and other damaging agents but compensating for this by overproducing a protective protein that staves off death.