Bio-Engineering a future for Aging and Longevity-a focus on Senescence and mechano-immunology
During aging, cells undergo numerous changes that limit their ability to maintain tissue and organismal homeostasis and repair. One such mechanism is the age-related accumulation of senescent cells. Senescence is an established driver of aging, characterized by the upregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, increased pro-inflammatory secretions, and characteristic changes in cell morphology. Although these senescence-associated changes are critical to our understanding of senescence across various cell types, it is limited. In my seminar, I will present two short vignettes: 1) I will present recent developments on a new single-cell framework to identify and classify functional subtypes of senescence among aging dermal fibroblasts, with longer-term applications to assess senescence niches within aging tissues, and differentially targeting senescence subtypes. 2) Our immune cells change significantly during aging, thereby hindering critical immune functions. I will present recent data from my lab to decipher critical sources of aging-related dysfunctions in T cell surveillance, particularly those related to single cell migration, cellular deformations, and sensing of signaling cues within their microenvironments. Collectively, we seek to develop a comprehensive understanding of why individuals age differently, with the long-term goal of developing precision aging strategies to impact the health and longevity of aging individuals.
Bio: Jude Phillip is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering, with secondary appointments in the departments of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and oncology at Johns Hopkins University. He is also a core member in the Institute for Nanobiotechnology (INBT) and is an associate member of the Translational Therapeutics and Regenerative Engineering Center (TTREC). Phillip obtained a B.Eng. in chemical engineering from the City College of New York, his Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular engineering at Johns Hopkins University and completed his postdoc in hematology and medical oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine. Currently, his lab is developing new ways to tackle challenges in aging by employing principles from Engineering. Specifically, he is interested in understanding why individuals age differently, and what how our cells can provide a window into aging. Phillip is the recent recipient of numerous awards for his work, notably, a R35 MIRA grant from NIGMS, a Junior Faculty Award from the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR), and a longevity Catalyst award from the National Academy of Medicine as part of their healthy longevity challenge. In 2025, he was awarded the Salisbury Family and Center for Innovative Medicine Human Aging Project (HAP) Scholar.