Researchers at the University of Sheffield say suppressing a key cellular stress response could significantly extend lifespan, offering new insights into how aging might be slowed.

Axar.az reports, the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined tens of thousands of fruit flies and focused on the Integrated Stress Response (ISR)—a molecular system that helps cells react to challenges such as infection or nutrient shortages.

Contrary to earlier findings in simpler organisms, which suggested that mild stress could promote longevity, the Sheffield team found the opposite effect. Activating the stress response shortened the flies’ lifespan, while suppressing it allowed them to live longer, even under varying dietary conditions.

The experiments used Drosophila melanogaster, a common model organism in aging research due to its biological complexity and short lifespan. The consistency of the results across different conditions suggests the ISR pathway may play a central role in regulating aging.

Dr. Mirre Simons said the findings highlight the need to rethink how aging is approached: “One of the biggest societal risks we face is the demographic shift of an aging population. If we want to intervene at scale, we must move beyond treating individual diseases and start targeting the aging process itself.”

Co-author Miriam Gotz added that understanding this cellular mechanism could have broader implications, particularly in fields such as cancer and immunology, where the stress response system is already under investigation.

The research team is now seeking funding to explore whether existing drugs can mimic the effects seen in the study, potentially paving the way for treatments aimed at slowing aging in humans.