Proposal tests macrophage TGF-β1 regulation

The proposed theory asks whether ageing changes how human niche macrophages, immune cells that maintain the stem-cell environment, respond to signals that help end inflammation. A planned study compares CD163-positive macrophages, identified by a surface marker, from donors aged 20-30 and 65-75. After exposure outside the body to specialized pro-resolving mediators, researchers would measure DNA methylation, chemical tags that regulate gene activity, at a TGFB1 gene-control site and secretion of transforming growth factor beta 1, a signalling protein. The hypothesis predicts under 10% methylation in younger donors and over 60% in older donors, with inverse secretion. Matching that pairing would support the mechanism. Similar or overlapping measurements would leave it unresolved.