Secretariat, Alumni Association, IDAC
Date	Friday, 21 February 2025, 15:30～
Room	International Conference Room, Smart-Aging Building, IDAC
Title	The Role of Cellular Senescence in Cancer and Aging: -Light and Shadow of Cellular Senescence Research-
Speaker	Eiji Hara, PhD
Affiliation	Department of Molecular Biology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University
Organizer	Akiko Satoh (Department of Integrative Physiology, ext. 8544)
Abstract	Cellular senescence is an irreversible cell cycle arrest induced by various potentially oncogenic stresses and functions as an important tumor suppression mechanism. However, senescent cells do not immediately undergo cell death but persist within the body for extended periods, accompanied by the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which is characterized by the secretion of inflammatory factors. Thus, the accumulation of senescent cells with aging has been hypothesized to induce chronic inflammation, potentially contributing to aging-associated deterioration of physiological functions and an increased incidence of age-related diseases, including cancer. This hypothesis has sparked significant interest in developing strategies to eliminate accumulated senescent cells as a potential approach to anti-aging interventions. However, several reports suggest that non-selective removal of senescent cells from the body may have detrimental effects on physiological functions. As a result, we propose that identifying and removing the primary cause of cellular senescence-inducing stress would be a safer and more efficacious approach compared to the non-selective elimination of senescent cells. Guided by this hypothesis, we aim to pinpoint the fundamental triggers of cellular senescence in vivo. I will present herein the identification of specific microorganisms capable of inducing cellular senescence and our elucidation of their underlying mechanistic pathways.