A team led by Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University investigators has identified a protein that may hide aging cells from the body’s immune system, allowing them to build up and contribute to age-related health problems.

The findings, published in Cell Metabolism, suggest that the protein, called PD-L2, could serve as a target for treatments designed to remove harmful aging cells or as a blood marker that helps researchers track them.

“Our findings suggest that PD-L2 may help aging cells stay in the body when they would normally be removed by the immune system,” said Selim Chaib, Ph.D., research assistant professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai and first and co-corresponding author of the study.