LAUSR

Drugs that remove senescent cells cut coronavirus deaths in old mice Older age is associated with increased COVID-19 severity and mortality (1). Whether this is due to preexisting age-related health conditions or aging per se is currently unclear. On page 295 of this issue, Camell et al. (2) show that cell senescence, a hallmark of biological aging (3), contributes to mortality in old mice upon infection with mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), a mouse β-coronavirus that is similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Mirroring findings from human COVID-19, they show that old—but not young—mice infected with MHV succumb rapidly to viral infection. They demonstrate that treatments to remove senescent cells (senolytics) significantly improve survival in older mice, even when initiated 3 days after infection. These findings provide a biological explanation for the effect of age on COVID-19 severity and strongly support the testing of drugs that target senescence in older patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.