A major focus of the lab is to investigate the role of cellular senescence, and how senescent cells contribute to alter tissue microenvironment via cell and non-cell autonomous functions. Cellular senescence is a complex tumor-suppressive mechanism induced by many different stresses characterized by growth arrest, changes in morphology and gene expression, and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, proteases and other molecules. Our group aims to investigate the molecular phenotypes that regulate induction, establishment and persistence of senescent cells and to study how senescent cells participate in several biological processes. We are interested in developing novel tools and platforms, evaluate senescence in vivo and develop new therapies for the prevention of age-related diseases. For this reason, our research is multidiscplinary and includes basic, translational and clinical approaches.
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