Molecular imaging for senescent cells-targeted therapeutics in aging and age-related diseases

Senescent cells are attributed to aging and age-related diseases. Clearance of senescent cells can delay the aging process and treat age-related diseases. Senescent cells have typical phenotypes including permanent cell cycle arrest, metabolic changes, senescence-associated secretory phenotype, and other structural and functional changes. Senescent cells-targeted therapeutics containing senolytics and senomorphics have been widely investigated but still insufficient, and the internal processes are still unclear, leaving a large gap between preclinical and clinical usage for aging and age-related disease management. Thus, it is urgently demanded to discover many more drugs or new targets with in vivo pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics evaluation and monitoring, promoting clinical translation. As a revolutionizing approach, molecular imaging exhibited great potential in exploring the in vivo pathophysiological mechanisms and further promoting the diagnosis and therapies of diseases. It can realize the visualization of complex biochemical processes from living cells, tissues, and organs, to subjects. Benefiting from the numerous imaging probes designed and synthesized with specificity and sensitivity, molecular imaging can vigorously facilitate exploring underlying in vivo mechanisms of senescent cells and senotherapeutics for aging and age-related diseases. Moreover, conjugating the senolytics and senomorphics with imaging probes can realize in vivo image-guided therapy for senescent cells, reversing the dysfunction of aging and treating age-related diseases. Molecular imaging exhibits great potential in visualizing and monitoring senescent cells-targeted therapeutics for aging and age-related diseases, and can forcefully contribute to the clinical translation of gerophamocology.