Roses (IMAGE)

West Virginia University

Roses

Caption

A new study by WVU School of Medicine researcher Eric Kelley suggests that unrepaired DNA damage can increase the speed of aging. Kelley and his colleagues genetically modified mice to remove a crucial DNA-repair protein from some of their stem cells. Without this protein, the mice were unable to fix damaged DNA accrued in their immune cells. By the time the genetically modified mice were 5 months old, they resembled a regular two-year-old mouse. For context, a two-year-old mouse is similar in age to an 80-year-old human.

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Aira Burkhart illustration/WVU

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