Your Gut's Healing Power May Hold the Secret to Aging Better

Scientists have discovered a groundbreaking way to help aging intestines heal themselves using a cancer-fighting immune therapy called CAR T-cell therapy. By targeting stubborn aging cells that refuse to die, researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory boosted gut regeneration, reduced inflammation, and improved nutrient absorption in mice for up to a year.

Why Does Your Gut Struggle to Heal as You Age?

Many people notice certain foods become harder to tolerate with age, and there's a biological reason behind this frustrating change. The intestinal epithelium—a thin, single layer of cells lining your intestine—is essential for digestion and gut health. In healthy conditions, this lining completely renews itself every three to five days.

However, aging disrupts this remarkable renewal process. The culprits are senescent cells, which no longer divide but also refuse to die off. These lingering cells accumulate over time and have been linked to many age-related conditions, including diabetes and dementia. When senescent cells build up in the gut, inflammation rises and conditions like leaky gut syndrome may develop.

How Does This Gut-Healing Therapy Actually Work?

The research team, led by Assistant Professor Corina Amor Vegas, engineered special immune cells called anti-uPAR CAR T cells that selectively hunt down and remove senescent cells. They delivered these CAR T cells directly to the intestines of both younger and older mice with remarkable results.

"In both cases, we see really significant improvements," explains Amor Vegas. "They're able to absorb nutrients better. They have much less inflammation. When irritated or injured, their epithelial lining is able to regenerate and heal much faster."

The therapy showed particularly impressive benefits for several key areas:

• Nutrient Absorption: Treated mice demonstrated significantly better ability to absorb essential nutrients from food
• Inflammation Reduction: The therapy dramatically lowered gut inflammation levels compared to untreated animals
• Healing Speed: When the intestinal lining was damaged, treated mice could regenerate and repair tissue much faster than normal

Could This Help Cancer Patients Too?

The researchers also tested whether this approach could help with radiation-induced gut damage, which is particularly common among cancer patients receiving pelvic or abdominal radiation therapy. They exposed mice to radiation that damaged their intestinal epithelial cells, then treated some with CAR T cells.

The results were striking: mice treated with CAR T cells recovered far more effectively than those without the therapy. Most remarkably, a single dose of CAR T-cell treatment continued supporting healthier gut function for at least one year.

The team also found compelling evidence that anti-uPAR CAR T cells encourage regeneration in human intestinal and colorectal cells, according to graduate student Onur Eskiocak. While researchers are still exploring the precise biological mechanisms, the findings point to strong therapeutic potential.

Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz, who partnered on the research, emphasizes the broader significance: "This is one good step toward a long journey in understanding how we can better heal the elderly." The approach could potentially improve gut health in older adults and cancer patients, though clinical trials in humans are still needed to confirm these promising early results.