Escaping ageing through Cell Annealing—a phenomenological model

Cellular rejuvenation shows great promise for treating age-related diseases and disabilities. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and how and where information for youthful, healthy cells might be stored remain poorly understood. This is largely due to the complexity of ageing which involves numerous molecular modalities, their interactions, and a wide array of phenotypes, making it challenging to model or even conceptualise these processes. 1 Here, we introduce “Cell Annealing”, a phenomenological model that builds on the Waddington Landscape and features of Hopfield Networks. It provides a novel perspective on ageing, aims to deepen our understanding of cell state information storage and retrieval, and offers a framework for cell rejuvenation and therapeutic interventions.