Covarrubias Lab
Principal Investigator: Anthony Joseph Covarrubias
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: ✅ Accepting PhD Students ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
PROJECT SUMMARY Cellular senescence is a complex cellular state characterized by cell cycle arrest resulting from DNA damage or other cellular stressors. Senescent cells play key roles in multiple biological processes, including development, tissue homeostasis, and acting as an anti-cancer mechanism. Moreover, senescent cells have been causally linked to sterile inflammation and disease due to their ability to secrete inflammatory factors known as the Senescence Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP). Interestingly, macrophages, key innate immune cells, are emerging as a key source of senescent cells in multiple settings including tissue regeneration, wound healing, cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and in the aging process. However, much is not known about the basic biology of macrophage senescence, including what genes, and signaling pathways regulate the senescent state, what biomarkers accurately define them, and the underlying biology regulating their functions including the SASP. Therefore, this proposal outlines our research goals for the next five years, which revolve around gaining a deeper understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying senescent macr…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R35GM156893-02: Exploring the fundamental cellular mechanisms driving cellular senescence in macrophages (2026)
- 1R35GM156893-01: Exploring the fundamental cellular mechanisms driving cellular senescence in macrophages (2025)
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