Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Fibroblasts have been used since the 1960s as a cell culture model for organismal aging. Fibroblast cultures have provided a wealth of information about basic cellular processes, such as cell cycle control, and insights into neoplastic transformation and cellular stress responses, both of which are prominent in aged organisms. The apparent aging that cells undergo in culture is a complex process, some features of which are apparent in aging organisms. Nonetheless, it is not yet clear to what extent the aging of cells in culture reflects aging in multicellular organisms.