Genetically enhanced mesenchymal stem cells for aging intervention

作者：Jing-Hui LEI, Guang-Hui LIU, Si Wang · 发表于：Shengming kexue · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.3724/cbls.2026094 · 研究领域：Mesenchymal stem cell research、Pluripotent Stem Cells Research、Biomedical Ethics and Regulation

Aging is an inevitable physiological process accompanied by a gradual decline in the function of adult stem cells, which is widely recognized as a core factor of various aging-related diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and osteoporosis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), due to their advantages such as multilineage differentiation potential, immunomodulatory capacity, and low immunogenicity, are considered the most promising cell transplantation materials for delaying aging and promoting regeneration. However, after transplantation, MSCs often face extremely low survival rates and short retention times in the harsh microenvironment of the aging body, which is characterized by oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, accumulation of toxic metabolites and reduced nutrient supply, severely limiting their therapeutic efficacy in clinical applications. To address this critical bottleneck, genetic enhancement strategies have emerged as a promising solution, which employ precise gene editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9 <?A3B2 pi129?>to modify target genes, thereby improving the homing ability of MSCs to damaged tissues, enhancing their resistance to adverse microenvironmental stress, and promoting their paracrine secretion of beneficial cytokines. These genetically enhanced MSCs show markedly superior therapeutic efficacy relative to wild-type MSCs in the treatment of aging and related diseases. Although the long-term safety and potenti...