Research advances and application prospects of CAR-T therapy in the treatment of age-related diseases

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Aldword

Cellular senescence underpins body aging by driving the onset and progression of multiple age-related diseases and by maintaining a chronic inflammatory microenvironment via the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which continuously worsens tissue functional decline. CAR-T cell therapy, a breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy, provides targeted elimination capabilities for intervening in age-related disorders. This review analyzes senescence mechanisms and pathological effects, summarizes CAR-T design and development, reviews recent experimental and clinical progress in cancers, neurodegeneration and cardiovascular disease, addresses challenges including immune-senescence, target reliability and safety, and proposes future optimization and translational strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

1 Introduction

2 Molecular mechanisms and pathological effects of cellular senescence

TYPE Review PUBLISHED 18 June 2026 DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1835582 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Yang Li, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China REVIEWED BY Hiroki Ishikawa, Yasuda Women’s University, Japan Manish Shukla, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, United States *CORRESPONDENCE Yudong Fang [fccfangyd@zzu.edu.cn](fccfangyd@zzu.edu.cn) RECEIVED 21 March 2026 REVISED 29 May 2026 ACCEPTED 02 June 2026 PUBLISHED 18 June 2026 CITATION An X, Wu T, Gou R and Fang Y (2026) Research advances and application prospects of CAR-T therapy in the treatment of age-related diseases. Front. Immunol. 17:1835582 . doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1835582 COPYRIGHT © 2026 An, Wu, Gou and Fang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Research advances and application prospects of CAR-T therapy in the treatment of age-related diseases Xiaoge An 1,2, Tingting Wu 1,2, Rong Gou 1 and Yudong Fang 1* 1 Department of Nephrology, The First Afﬁliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China, 2 Research Institute of Nephrology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China Cellular senescence constitutes the core biological basis of body aging. It not only directly drives the occurrence and progression of multiple age-related diseases, but also establishes and maintains a chronic inﬂammatory microenvironment through the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), thereby continuously exacerbating tissue functional decline. In recent years, CAR-T cell therapy, as the ﬁrst revolutionary therapy in cancer immunotherapy, has opened up new ways to intervene in age-related diseases with its excellent target elimination capabilities. This article ﬁrst studies the molecular mechanisms of cellular senescence and its pathological effects. Then a systematic overview of the design principles, development trajectory and current applications of CAR-T technology is given, focusing on the latest experimental and clinical advances in aging-related cancers, neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular diseases. We also dive into key current challenges, including immune-senescence, target reliability, and treatment safety. Finally, we will explore the future optimization direction of CAR-T therapy and its translational potential through various strategies such as engineered immune cells and combination therapy, hoping to provide valuable insights into research and clinical practice in this ﬁeld. KEYWORDS age-related diseases, CAR-T therapy, cellular senescence, immune senescence, immunotherapy, kidney diseases 1 Introduction The global population is aging at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, the incidence of age-related diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular disease continues to increase, which poses severe challenges to the medical system and socioeconomic stability.(1, 2). Cellular senescence is a key factor in aging and age-related diseases (3). The core features of cellular senescence are irreversible cell cycle arrest and release of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) (4–6).This process not only directly damages the self-renewal and repair capabilities of tissues, but also establishes a persistent inﬂammatory microenvironment that accelerates the aging of surrounding normal cells, thereby leading to the occurrence and progression of various diseases (7) . Eliminating or modulating senescent cells could extend healthy lifespan and reduce the incidence of age-related diseases in laboratory animals, study shows (8) . For a long time, the mainstream anti

FAQs

What biological process does the article identify as the core basis of aging and age-related disease?

Cellular senescence. It features irreversible growth arrest and the release of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).

How does CAR-T therapy relate to treating age-related diseases in this review?

CAR-T therapy is described as genetically engineering T cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that specifically recognizes and eliminates target cells, offering a new intervention approach beyond traditional anti-aging strategies.

Which major challenges and future directions for CAR-T are highlighted?

The review emphasizes challenges such as immune-senescence, target reliability, and treatment safety, and it discusses future optimization via strategies including engineered immune cells and combination therapy to support translational potential.

Sep 22, 2026

Upload by Aldword