Therapeutic reversal of cellular senescence: A systematic review of senolytics, senomorphics and anti-ageing therapies in human clinical trials

Trivedi H, Tripathi S, Thacker J, Patil N, Shaikh S · 2026 · British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology · Atlas ID TRI2026

What this study shows

A PRISMA-guided systematic review of six completed human clinical studies that met its eligibility criteria, testing drugs that clear or calm senescent ("zombie") cells -- senolytics such as dasatinib+quercetin, plus senomorphic and mTOR-targeting approaches. It reported limited and heterogeneous results, a mixture of biomarker and functional outcomes, with mostly mild side effects, and judged the evidence too thin (small samples, short follow-up) to call any of it an established therapy yet. Six INCLUDED studies is not a census of every completed human senotherapeutic trial: inclusion depends on the review's search date and eligibility criteria, and those have to be stated before any field-wide coverage conclusion is drawn. Useful mainly as a rare systematic look at where human senescence-targeting trials, mTOR inhibitors included, stand -- not as proof that any one drug works.

Abstract

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Cellular senescence, a key feature of ageing, involves irreversible cell cycle arrest and the secretion of pro-inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors, which contribute to tissue degeneration and age-related diseases. Targeting senescent cells with senolytics, senomorphics and anti-ageing therapies marks a major shift in translational geroscience, with the potential to delay or reverse age-related conditions. A systematic review and narrative synthesis was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines.

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At a glance

Evidence type	S Synthesis of human data Marked S because it synthesizes multiple human studies (a systematic review or meta-analysis); the code names the kind of study, not the quality of any single included study.
Study type	1 - Systematic Review
Model system	Human clinical trials (PRISMA 2020 systematic review, 6 completed studies + 1 ongoing)
Journal	British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
Year	2026
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-10-01
Source	DOI 10.1002/bcp.70871 · PMID 42834340

In the Atlas

Open questions that cite this study

Cited as supporting evidence for the open question How much of rapamycin's healthspan benefit runs through fewer senescent cells?.

Cite this paper

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Trivedi, H., Tripathi, S., Thacker, J., Patil, N., & Shaikh, S. (2026). Therapeutic reversal of cellular senescence: A systematic review of senolytics, senomorphics and anti-ageing therapies in human clinical trials. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1002/bcp.70871

@article{TRI2026,
  author       = {Trivedi, H. and Tripathi, S. and Thacker, J. and Patil, N. and Shaikh, S.},
  title        = {{Therapeutic reversal of cellular senescence: A systematic review of senolytics, senomorphics and anti-ageing therapies in human clinical trials}},
  journal      = {British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {10.1002/bcp.70871},
  note         = {PMID: 42834340},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper.

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record TRI2026) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/TRI2026/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_TRI2026,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record TRI2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/TRI2026/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}

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