A Duke research team will play a key role in mapping cellular senescence in lung tissue as part of an NIH initiative to create a foundational database to identify senescent biomarkers that signal the cessation of cell division.
The $12.7 million, five-year NIH grant to Duke is part of the Cellular Senescence Network (SenNet), a national consortium involving eight tissue mapping centers and 17 universities collaborating in an investigation into the triggers of senescence. The NIH Common Fund supports the SenNet project.
SenNet will create publicly accessible atlases of senescent cells, advancing research by developing common terms and classifications for the cells. The project will create an identification structure to define differences in senescent cells throughout the body, in various health conditions, and across the lifespan.
Patty J. Lee, MD, a pulmonologist, researcher, and the principal investigator for the project, says the research will not only help create a lung map of senescent cells, but guide future development of senolytics and other therapeutics targeting cellular senescence.
“These therapeutics may eventually offer effective treatments for age-related diseases such as cancer, dementia, and other conditions previously thought to be incurable, including such chronic disorders as organ fibrosis as well as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD),” Lee says.
The NIH research project represents an unusual opportunity for the Duke School of Medicine to expand its scientific collaboration and networking across the globe, says Dr. Lee, who initiated and executed Duke’s efforts to secure the grant. “The SenNet investigators that will interface with the Duke investigators are in US institutions, but they represent global spheres of influence and are internationally recognized aging and senescence experts.”
Duke’s national leadership in lung collection in the OR and during autopsy was a major factor in the award, Dr. Lee says. The Duke Lung Transplant program is one of the highest volume transplant centers in the US; the Pathology Department is also nationally recognized for tissue collection, preservation, and computational data analyses.
Loretta G. Que, MD, interim chief of the Division of Pulmonology, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, praised the multidisciplinary aspect of the project.
“This is a significant project with a distinctive mission, involving inter-disciplinary teams in the School of Medicine, and we are excited to be leading this effort,” Dr. Que says. “This project will create the framework for future NIH investigations. It’s a new platform with promising objectives.”
Que also emphasized the key role Lee played in securing the grant. In 2019, Lee served on a NIH task force assessing potential investments for the NIH-NIA Common Fund, which supports emerging scientific opportunities and biomedical research challenges that no single NIH Institute or Center can address individually.
Upcoming Lung Cellular Senescence Programming SenNet Webinar:
Dr. Lee will be part of an expert-panel for an upcoming ATS Lung Cellular Senescence Programming and SenNet Webinar February 17, 2022. To learn more and register, read and click below.
Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology
Lung Cellular Senescence Programming and SenNet Webinar
This webinar-retreat will provide the mechanisms of lung cellular senescence, senescence phenotypes, and planning to prepare the senescence-networking atlas based on multi-omics.
Date: Thursday, February 17, 2022
Time: 4PM Eastern
Duration: 90 minutes
Where: Register below.
Moderators/Chairs/Panelists:
Irfan Rahman, PhD ATSF, URMC, Rochester, NY
Benjamin D. Singer, MD, ATSF, NorthWestern Univ
Patty J. Lee, MD, Duke Univ
Enid Neptune, MD, John Hopkins
Ana Mora, MD, Ohio State Univ
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Introduction to SenNet program– Melanie Königshoff, MD, PhD, ATSF (10 mins)- Pittsburgh
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Animal models for studying cellular senescence – Gagandeep Kaur, PhD (20 mins), Rochester, NY
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Cellular senescence in lung aging – Mallar Bhattacharya, MD (20 mins), UCSF
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Mitochondrial drivers of senescence in COPD – Corrine Kliment, MD, PhD (20 mins), Pittsburgh
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Panel Discussions- key research opportunities (15 mins)