Studying Werner syndrome to elucidate mechanisms and therapeutics of human aging and age-related diseases Sofie Lautrup1,6, Domenica Caponio1,2,6, Hoi-Hung Cheung3, Claudia Piccoli2,4, Tinna Stevnsner5, Wai-Yee Chan3, Evandro F. Fang1,* 1 Department of Clinical Molecular Biology, University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, Norway 2 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine University of Foggia Medical School Via L.Pinto 171122 Foggia, Italy 3CUHK-CAS GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong S.A.R., China 4 Laboratory of Pre-clinical and Translational Research, IRCCS-CROB, Referral Cancer Center of Basilicata, 85028 Rionero in Vulture, Italy 5 Danish Aging Research Center, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Aarhus, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark 6Co-first authors * Corresponding author:
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[email protected] Abstract Aging is a natural and unavoidable part of life. However, aging is also the primary driver of the dominant human diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. Unraveling the sophisticated molecular mechanisms of the human aging process may provide novel strategies to extend ‘healthy aging’ and the cure of human aging-related diseases. Werner syndrome (WS), is a heritable human premature aging disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding the Werner (WRN) DNA helicase. As a classical premature aging disease, etiological exploration of WS can shed light on the mechanisms of normal human aging and facilitate the development of interventional strategies to improve the healthspan.