Sonam Chawla

The biological process of skin aging is well-organized and complex, and it has an effect at the molecular, cellular, and structural levels. Intrinsic aging is majorly governed by inherent genetics ...

By 2050, nearly 20% of the global population will exceed 60 years old, experiencing compromised physiological and functional abilities, neurological disorders, and sarcopenia. Geroscience has evolved immensely through OMICS approaches and high-throughput technologies, generating massive datasets requiring efficient management, annotation, and storage. This highlights the need for user-friendly databases integrated with machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). This review provides a comparative synthesis of the state-of-the-art databases on longevity genes, age-related signaling pathways, model organism phenotypes, and manually curated aging/antiaging experimental studies. We delineate the architecture, methodology, and functional features of contemporary geroscience databases, detailing the objectives, content, and dataset size, including multiomics information. Critically, these databases facilitate geriatric interventions: from biomarker discovery to drug repositioning, significantly impacting aging-associated conditions like muscle loss and Alzheimer’s. In addition, we present updated insights into the increasing use of deep aging clocks and multiomics databases, coupled with ML- and AI-dependent analyses, fostering advanced dataset development. Interestingly, these tools are capable of dataset pattern recognition, predictive modeling, and the generation of research hypotheses. By bridging manually curated and AI-driven tools, this review offers a holistic view of the complementary strengths of aging databases, paving the way for the next generation of geroscience.

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and PIWI proteins are emerging key players in the regulation of cancer gene expression and tumor biology. piRNAs (24-31 nucleotides), interact with PIWI proteins to regulate gene expression via epigenetic mechanisms, modulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. Dysregulated piRNA-PIWI axis is implicated across cancer types - breast, colorectal, genitourinary, etc., and correlates with tumor progression and poor patient outcomes. Notably, piRNAs influence cancer stem cell maintenance, contributing to tumor aggressiveness and therapeutic resistance. We also highlight the significant diagnostic and prognostic potential of piRNAs (e.g. piRNA-823) due to their unique expression profiles in cancerous tissues potentially contributing to early detection and disease monitoring. Additionally, noninvasive detection of piRNAs in extracellular vesicles offers promise for liquid biopsy applications, enabling real-time monitoring of cancer progression and treatment response. On the therapeutic front, piRNA-PIWI protein axis offers innovative avenues - modulating piRNA expression or restoring normal PIWI function can limit tumor growth, metastasis, etc. Despite cumulative evidence supporting their role in cancer, challenges remain in translating piRNA research into clinical practice (lack of standardized protocols, effective therapeutic strategies). Ongoing studies into elucidating molecular implications of piRNA-PIWI axis are crucial for tapping this axis for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Introduction: Medicinal plants and phytocompounds targeting skeletal muscle wasting in humans are under-represented in the majority of databases reporting plant/herb-diseases association. However, a large body of literature exists wherein plant extracts or active pharmaceutical ingredients thereof demonstrate potential benefit in skeletal muscle wasting diseases across model organisms. Underscoring the relevance of a repertoire documenting such medicinal plants, we introduce PDMD (Plants Database for Muscle Wasting Diseases), a manually curated plants database reported for muscle wasting diseases such as cachexia, sarcopenia, muscle atrophy, muscle frailty, impaired muscle regeneration, and muscle fatigue. Methodology: PDMD was developed through systematic manual collection and curation of published studies from PubMed, Science Direct, etc, retrieving literature on plants conferring pharmacological efficacy against muscle wasting across experimental model organisms. Phytochemical and taxonomic information were extracted via tools like ClassyFire, PubChem. To handle the storage of an annotated listing of plants, MS-Excel and MySQL were used. Frontend was designed in Visual Studio Code and HTML/CSS. An Apache/PHP server was used to integrate MS-Excel data and charts. Result and Discussion: PDMD encompasses 206 medicinal plants, 230 API reported across 18 model organisms, offering taxonomical information, phytochemical classes, SMILES structure, geographical distribution, and other bioactivity indications. PDMD is cross-referenced with standard databases such as PubChem and PubMed for enhanced functionality. PDMD highlights overlooked plant-muscle links, bridging ethnopharmacology and botany gaps, and can aid hypothesis generation for novel therapies. Conclusion: PDMD highlights overlooked plant-muscle links, bridging ethnopharmacology and botany gaps, and can aid hypothesis generation. PDMD is freely available at https://www.jiit.ac.in/biotechhighlightes/Research-Databases/PDMD/index.html, and was last updated in September 2025.

Senescence is a hallmark of the natural ageing process across species. It is an irreversible arrest of the cells in a non-dividing state, restricting completion of cell cycle. Increased number of senescent cells is associated with declining health span. The switching between a normal cell to a senescent cell is governed by diverse factors, such as activation of DNA damage response, telomere attrition, raised redox imbalance etc. The senescent cells are detected through increased molecular markers of cell cycle arrest, chromatin remodeling indicators, lipofuscin, increased autophagic flux, and increase activity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase. A hyper secretory inflammatory response referred as Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP) is also attained. SASP contributes to low grade chronic inflammation in elderly and contributes to pathophysiology of most geriatric diseases. Cellular senescence can be managed by inclusion of dietary entities that can clear senescent cells (senolytic action), rein the SASP response (senomorphic action) or facilitate re-entry to cell cycle (senoreversal). This scoping review presents the current understanding of cellular senescence activation and detection and compiles the findings from studies wherein dietary components - bioactive polysacchrides, peptides and proteins, fatty acids, lipids and probiotic formulations, that are reported to provide nutrition as well as confer an anti-senescent advantage.

Candida albicans, along with several non-albicans Candida species, comprise a prominent fungal pathogen in humans, leading to candidiasis in various organs. The global impact of candidiasis in terms of disease burden, suffering, and fatalities is alarmingly high, making it a pressing global healthcare concern. Current treatment options rely on antifungal drugs such as azoles, polyenes, and echinocandins but are delimited due to the emergence of drug-resistant strains and associated adverse effects. The current review highlights the striking absence of a licensed antifungal vaccine for human use and the urgent need to shift our focus toward developing an anti-Candida vaccine. A number of factors affect the development of vaccines against fungal infections, including the host, intraspecies and interspecies antigenic variations, and hence, a lack of commercial interest. In addition, individuals with a high risk of fungal infection tend to be immunocompromised, so they are less likely to respond to inactivated or subunit whole organisms. Therefore, it is pertinent to discover newer and novel alternative strategies to develop safe and effective vaccines against fungal infections. This review article provides an overview of current vaccination strategies (live attenuated, whole-cell killed, subunit, conjugate, and oral vaccine), including their preclinical and clinical data on efficacy and safety. We also discuss the mechanisms of immune protection against candidiasis, including the role of innate and adaptive immunity and potential biomarkers of protection. Challenges, solutions, and future directions in vaccine development, namely, exploring novel adjuvants, harnessing the trained immunity, and utilizing immunoinformatics approaches for vaccine design and development, are also discussed. This review concludes with a summary of key findings, their implications for clinical practice and public health, and a call to action for continued investment in candidiasis vaccine research.