Cellular senescence, literally meaning “cell aging”, is the process by which cells stop dividing and enter a senile stage characterised by dysfunction and the spreading of inflammation. Cellular senescence leads to the production of pro-inflammatory mediators that can spread inflammation to thousands of other cells in the vicinity of a group of senescent cells or even throughout the body. Cells normally enter cellular senescence after approximately 50 cell divisions (mitoses) and this normal process is known as "replicative senescence". When a cell enters senescence it is selected to be cleared by the immune system, in a process called senolysis…