Clocks Sync to Prevent Ageing

Back-to-back papers published in Science and Cell Stem Cell have revealed that keeping the brain’s master clock (the suprachiasmatic nucleus) in step with peripheral clocks in muscle and skin is essential for about half of our circadian-regulated processes. The work has been led by Dr. Salvador Aznar Benitah (IRB Barcelona) and Dr. Pura Muñoz-Cánoves (UPF). Using mouse models, the team has shown that disrupting this synchrony accelerates tissue aging, while interventions such as time-restricted feeding or restoring clock signals preserve DNA repair, mitochondrial function and key metabolic pathways.

By maintaining clock alignment, the researchers prevented early-onset muscle wasting (sarcopenia) and skin deterioration, pointing to lifestyle or drug-based “clock resetting” as a way to slow age-related decline. More broadly, their work highlights circadian coordination itself—not just the accuracy of any one clock—as a promising therapeutic target across multiple organs.

More information: Synchronisation between the central circadian clock and the circadian clocks of tissues preserves their functioning and prevents ageing