Senotypes define the diverse landscape of senescent cells

Marissa J. Schafer, Nathan Basisty, Darren J. Baker

1. 01

   Proposes replacing the monolithic notion of the senescent cell with senotypes defined by inducing stimulus, molecular signature and effect

2. 02

   Explicitly recognises senescent states that are adaptive or beneficial, not only pathogenic

3. 03

   Provides a common vocabulary for comparing senescent states across tissues, species and lifespan

4. 04

   Published alongside the Nature Aging SenNet Collection mapping senescent cells across tissues

5. 05

   Offers the clearest published explanation for inconsistent human senolytic results: current agents do not distinguish maladaptive from beneficial senescent populations

Study Design

Review

Sample Size

Not reported

Study Duration

Not applicable

Methodology

Perspective article; conceptual synthesis of the senescence literature. No new experimental data.

Limitations

This is a Perspective, not primary research — it generates no new evidence for or against any intervention. The senotype taxonomy is a proposal and is not yet operationalised into validated assays that a clinician could use to select patients for senolytic therapy.