PICLS with human cells is the first high throughput screening method for identifying novel compounds that extend lifespan

• Main Authors: Alfatah, Mohammad, Zhang, Yizhong, Naaz, Arshia, Cheng, Trishia Yi Ning, Eisenhaber, Frank
• Other Authors: School of Biological Sciences
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Medicine, Health and Life Sciences; Chronological lifespan; High-throughput methods
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/175591
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Gerontology research on anti-aging interventions with drugs could be an answer to age-related diseases, aiming at closing the gap between lifespan and healthspan. Here, we present two methods for assaying chronological lifespan in human cells: (1) a version of the classical outgrowth assay with quantitative assessment of surviving cells and (2) a version of the PICLS method (propidium iodide fluorescent-based measurement of cell death). Both methods are fast, simple to conduct, cost-effective, produce quantitative data for further analysis and can be used with diverse human cell lines. Whereas the first method is ideal for validation and testing the post-intervention reproductive potential of surviving cells, the second method has true high-throughput screening potential. The new technologies were validated with known anti-aging compounds (2,5-anhydro-D-mannitol and rapamycin). Using the high-throughput screening method, we screened a library of 162 chemical entities and identified three compounds that extend the longevity of human cells.