Cellular Senescence: Defining a Path Forward

The cellular state of “senescence” has proven difficult to define, presenting an obstacle for progress in the field. This perspective provides a consensus on the cellular and molecular features of senescence from 26 field leaders. © 2019 Elsevier Inc. Cellular senescence is a cell state implicated in various physiological processes and a wide spectrum of age-related diseases. Recently, interest in therapeutically targeting senescence to improve healthy aging and age-related disease, otherwise known as senotherapy, has been growing rapidly. Thus, the accurate detection of senescent cells, especially in vivo, is essential. Here, we present a consensus from the International Cell Senescence Association (ICSA), defining and discussing key cellular and molecular features of senescence and offering recommendations on how to use them as biomarkers. We also present a resource tool to facilitate the identification of genes linked with senescence, SeneQuest (available at http://Senequest.net). Lastly, we propose an algorithm to accurately assess and quantify senescence, both in cultured cells and in vivo. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.