Understanding Aging: New Perspectives

Aging is something we can often recognize; we see it in graying hair, wrinkled skin, and the gradual decline in our physical and cognitive abilities. However, the biological processes behind aging remain somewhat unclear and widely debated. Many researchers adhere to the theory that aging results from various types of decay — the inevitable breakdown of molecules, cells, or organs due to internal and external factors. When the body’s repair systems fall short, like a factory with aging machinery and insufficient maintenance, it becomes evident through the familiar signs of aging and, ultimately, death.

This perspective seems logical, but Junyue Cao, a cell biologist, challenges this notion. He believes aging is not just a random process of wear and tear but rather a systematic and programmed one. “The destruction of the system is programmed at a very early stage,” he asserts. Cao leads the Laboratory of Single-Cell Genomics and Population Dynamics at Rockefeller University, where he has employed advanced technology to gain a comprehensive view of aging in mice. His research has identified distinct stages of aging, similar to embryonic development, marked by changes in molecular signals and specific populations of cells. For humans, this process likely kicks off before the age of 30.

Cao’s fascination with aging took root during his high school years in Hebei, China. He became acutely aware that his grandparents and parents wouldn’t be around forever. Rather than turning to poetry or other fleeting outlets, he channeled his thoughts into science, making it his mission to find ways to slow down the aging process, which ultimately led him to major in biology at Peking University in Beijing.

Initially, Cao believed that the breakdown of specific proteins and their networks caused aging, following the mainstream theory. But after college, while working in a lab tasked with identifying these proteins, he found an overwhelming variety of them linked to aging, with their impacts varying according to the cell type involved. The scenario was more intricate and organized than he had previously assumed.

Realizing he needed extensive data on myriad molecular changes across numerous cell types, Cao set out to develop a high-throughput technology during his graduate studies that could track these dynamics in embryonic development. When he established his own lab at Rockefeller in 2020, he adapted this technology to investigate the aging process.