Cuervo states that the information gathered during the experiments were relevant for neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and that the cause for these diseases is due to damaged or "misbehaving" proteins that build up in neurons. By increasing protein clearance, scientist may be able to keep individuals inflicted with neurodegenerative diseases from experiencing symptoms longer (10).

"If the body's ability to dispose of cell debris within the cell were enhanced across a wider range of tissues, it could extend life as well" (10). Healthy organisms have a surveillance system within their cells which is known as Chaperone-Medicated Autophagy (CMA). The CMA locates, digests and destroys cells that are damaged. The "chaperones", or specialized molecules, transport lysosomes, which are membrane-bound sacs of enzymes. Once they've been delivered, "a receptor molecule transfers the protein into the sac, where it is rapidly digested" (10).

As we grow older, these receptors become less efficient and don't work as well. As a result, faulty proteins build up and, in the liver, have been linked to insulin resistance, and the inability to metabolize sugar, fats, or alcohol in the liver. "The same breakdown of the cell's cleaning machinery can also impair the liver's ability to remove the toxic build-up of drugs at a stage in life when medication is often part of daily diet" (10).