Lessons on neurodegeneration and aging from the Lagoon of Venice: the marine invertebrate Botryllus schlosseri

In this work, the authors proposed a novel and interesting animal model for studying human neurodegenerative diseases, Botryllus schlosseri, a small invertebrate inhabiting temperate seas worldwide, which shares remarkable similarities with mammals in the expression of genes involved in pathological aging. Aging is a critical and necessary phase of our existence, and the circle of death and life dominates and drives all our daily choices. However, as stated by Saint Paul in his first Letter to the Corinthians, ‘Death will be the last enemy we’ll defeat’ (Letter to Corinthians, 15:26), we are not any closer to understanding secrets of death and life. In recent decades, as the life expectancy increased, pathological aging gained more and more importance.