Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series

Speaker: Corina Amor Vegas, Assistant Professor, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Talk Title: "Deconstructing aging with senolytic CAR T cells"

Abstract: Senescent cells accumulate in organisms over their lifespan and play a key role in age-related tissue decline and the development of chronic aging pathologies. Thus, effective strategies to eliminate senescent cells (senolytics) could have broad therapeutic implications. In a departure from conventional chemical approaches we developed the first cell-based senolytic therapy based on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting uPAR, a cell-surface protein upregulated on senescent cells. Our initial proof of concept showed their efficiency in young animal models of liver fibrosis and cancer. We now show that uPAR-positive senescent cells accumulate during physiological aging and characterize their cell types and expression profiles. Importantly, we find that they can be safely targeted with senolytic CAR T cells in aged animals where they result in significant improvements in both tissue regeneration and metabolic function. Of note, we find that the beneficial effects of senolytic CAR T cells are long lasting; single administration of a low dose is sufficient to safely achieve long-term therapeutic and preventive effects in healthspan.
 

Biography: Corina received an M.D. from Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain and a PhD from the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NY.  Following graduation she established her own research group at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as an Independent Fellow in January 2022 and was rapidly promoted to assistant professor in January 2024. She is also the Co-chair of the department of cellular communication at the CSHL Cancer Center. The Amor laboratory studies aging biology with a focus on cellular senescence.  The long-term goal of their research is to elucidate the contribution of senescent cells to the aging process and to develop novel cell-based therapeutic strategies to treat age-related pathologies. This work has lead to several awards including the the Chairman’s Prize award from MSKCC, listing as Forbes 30 under 30 and the the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (DP5).
 

Host: Peter Wang

Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 109

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Carla Stanard