Targeting Wound Senescence to Improve Wound Healing in Aging
Although senescent cells accumulate with age and may drive aging and many age-related diseases, senescence can also play significant beneficial roles in tissue repair and regeneration, such as during wound healing. This beneficial senescence response is robust but transient and appears to be essential for normal wound healing. However, much remains unknown on senescent cell identities and their specific functions during wound healing. Dr. Roh’s research project aims to delineate the diverse populations of wound senescent cells and their functional relevance during normal and aged wound healing and to begin to harness the mechanisms of the beneficial wound-senescence response to improve upon delayed healing of aging.