Skin-Related fibroblasts with nuclei stained green and f-factin stained red. Credit: Jude Phillip, Johns Hopkins University
Senescent skin cells, often referred to as zombie cells Promoting diseases while also helping the immune system to heal wounds.
New Findings may explain why: not all senescent skin cells are the same.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have identified three subtypes of senescent skin cells with distinct shapes, biomarars, and functions – functions – Functions – Functions – Functions – Functions – Functions – Functions Thaat Equip SCINTS WITHATS WITH Ability to target and kill the harmful types while leaveing the helpful ones into.
The findings appear in the journey Science Advances,
“We’ve Known That Senescent Skin Cells Are Different from SENESCENT Immune Cells or SENESCENT MUSCLE CELLS Cells are either senescent or not, for example, “said jude phillip, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins Universitys University.
“But we’re finding that when a skin cell goes into senescence, or a zombie-like state, the cell could go down one of three different paths, each leading to a slightly Different
Leveragging New Advances in Machine Learning and Imaging Technology, The Researchers Compared Skin Cell Samples from 50 Healthy Donors Between the Ages of 20 and 90 Who Participate In the Baltimore Longitudinal Study, the longest ongoing study of aging in the united states.
Researchers extractive fibroblasts – caels that produces the scaffolding to give tissues their structure – associateed with skin tissue and pushed them toward SENESCEGINGIN Happens with aging. Because SENESCENT CELS BULD UP NATURELY As People Grow Older, The aged Samples Contained A Mix of Healthy/Nonsanescent and SENESCENT Phibroblasts.
Using Specialized Dyes, The Researchers were able to capture images of the cells’ shapes and stained elements that are known to indicate senescent cells. Algorithms developed for this study analyzed the images, measured 87 different physical characteristics for Each Cell, and Sorted the Fibroblasts Into Groups.
Fibroblasts come in 11 different shapes and sizes, three of which are distinct to senescent skin cells, the resultarars found. Only one subtype of senescent fibroblast, which the resultars named C10, was More Prevalent in Older Donors.
In the petri dishes, Each subtype responded differently with exposed to existing drug regimens designed to target and kill zombie cells. Dasatinib + Quercetin, A Drug Being Tested In Clinical Trials, For Example, Most Effectively Killed C7 SENESCENT fibroblasts but was limited in killing the ag -ssocoted c10 senescent senescent fibroblasts.
Thought further research is needed to verify which fibroblast subtype is harmful and which is helpful, the findings show that Drugs can target one subtype and not the options.
“With our new findings, we have the tools ready to develop new drugs or therapies that preferred the senescence subtype that Drives Inflammation and Disease as Soon as it is IT IT IT IT IT IT IS IS IT Phillip said.
More Precise Targeting of Sensence Could Benefit Cancer Treatments, The Researchers Said.
Certain therapies are being designed to trigger senesence in cancer cells, converting unconstrollable replicating Cancer Cells Into dead-in-the-water zombie cells. While these therapies could stop tumor growth, they leave senescent cells in their wake. Conventional Chemotherapies also push cells like fibroblasts toward senesence as a side effect. The buildup of senescent cells during treatment can be problems as those cells may promote inflammation at a time when a patient’s immune system is at its most vulneable.
Patients May Benefit from a Drug Administrated after Chemotherapy that Can Sweep Up the Mess, Removing harmoving harmoving sexent cells while leaving behind the helpful senescent cells. These types of drugs are called Senotherapies.
Next, The Researchers Plan to Look at SENESCENCE SUBTYPES In Tissue Samples, Not Just In Flasks and Petri Dishes, to see how those subtypes might be associated with Various diseases and Age -ssociated diseases.
“We hope, with some more development, our technology will be used to help predict which DRIGS MIGHT DRUGS MIGHT WORK WOLL For Targeting SENESCENT CELS TANESCENT COLLS THATRLS THATRILS THATRILS THATRILS TANESCELS That Contribute to Specific Diseases, PHILIPC SAIDEAs, “Eventually, the dream is to be able to provide more information in a clinical setting to help with individual diagnoses and boost health outs.”
More information:
Pratik Kamat Et Al, Single-Cell Morphology Encodes Functional Subtypes of SENESCENCE in aging Human dermal fibroblasts., Science Advances (2025). Doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ads1875, www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads1875
Citation: ‘Zombie’ skin cells may be harmful or helpful, depending on their shapes (2025, April 25) retrieved 25 April 2025 from
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