The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) awarded a 5-year, $393,750 Project Grant to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to explore the fundamental cellular mechanisms driving cellular senescence in macrophages. This research, conducted under the NIGMS Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), aims to enhance the understanding of cellular senescence in macrophages and its broader impacts on homeostasis and disease.
Specifically, the research project will delve deeper into the molecular mechanisms governing cell cycle arrest in senescent macrophages, focusing on the roles of cell cycle regulators p21 and p16. The team plans to employ omics-based methodologies and CRISPR-Cas9 technology to uncover how these pathways regulate macrophage senescence, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, and cellular metabolism. Additionally, the researchers will investigate inflammatory and metabolic signaling pathways that influence macrophage senescence, as well as assess the impact of genetic variation on these processes. This comprehensive research strategy aims to advance the understanding of cellular senescence in macrophages and its implications for health and disease.