Our research
The long-term goal of our research is to implement lifestyle/pharmacological interventions to slow down the ageing process and improve ageing-related phenotypes (e.g., regeneration after injury, chronic inflammation, systemic metabolic alterations).
We currently have three ongoing projects:
- To develop anti-senescence immunotherapies: We aim to unravel the immunological mechanisms that enable senescent cells to escape immune clearance and accumulate in tissues during ageing, tissue fibrosis and neoplastic transformation. We endeavour to identify ‘druggable’ Senescence Associated Immune Checkpoints (SAICs) molecules to trigger the immune system-mediated elimination of senescent cells.
- To identify metabolic vulnerabilities of senescent cells: We use bulk and single cells metabolomics to define perturbations in metabolic networks that specifically define the senescent state. We are currently focusing on the role of polyamines metabolism in the regulation of the senescent phenotype.
- To discover pharmacological agents able to target multiple hallmarks of ageing: We deploy high-content fluorescence microscopy to identify food-derived compounds endowed with the capacity to (i) improve cellular proteostasis, (ii) boost mitochondrial function, (iii) limit chronic inflammation, and (iv) selectively kill senescent cells.