Targeting and eliminating senescent pre-tumor cells to prevent cancer

Aging is the primary risk factor for cancer; so it is no surprise that aging and tumorigenesis exhibit several shared mechanisms, including senescence. Senescence is a crucial defense against tumor formation in response to cell stress. However, the accumulation of senescent cells with age contributes to aging-related pathologies, including cancer. We have shown previously that clearance of senescent cells prevents age-related frailty, bone loss, and metabolic dysfunction. While knocking-out genes necessary for induction of senescence increases tumor formation, elimination of senescent cells reduces cancer deaths in aged mice. Thus, Dr. Weivoda hypothesizes that pre-tumor cells themselves are senescent and can be targeted and eliminated via senolytic therapy. By studying a precursor condition to multiple myeloma her lab proposes to 1) characterize the senescence phenotype of pre-tumor plasma cells, and 2) determine whether senescent PCs are responsible for the pre-tumor phenotype and can be targeted via senolytic therapies in vitro and in vivo.