AI tool to map aging-related cell changes in human tissues
Development of machine learning software to quantitatively map telomere induced senescence in tissue sections during aging
This project builds an AI that learns from advanced tissue images to find and map aging (senescent) cells in human skin and lung to help researchers studying age-related diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11286556 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You or your donated tissue would be represented by high-resolution images and molecular data from human skin and lung samples. The team will combine spatial proteomics methods (4i and CODEX) with standard imaging (including DAPI) to train a deep-learning classifier that recognizes different types of senescent cells in complex tissue. They will improve an existing tool called SenoQuant and expand the model to detect multiple senescent 'senotypes' across datasets from aged human tissues. The finished software will be shared with researchers to make detection of senescent cells more consistent and scalable.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be older adults who provide skin or lung tissue samples for research or patients enrolled in aging-related tissue-collection studies.
Not a fit: People who are not donating tissue or who do not have age-related conditions are unlikely to see direct benefits from this project in the near term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help scientists identify and track harmful aging cells more accurately, which could speed development of therapies for age-related conditions.
How similar studies have performed: Related work by the team showed promising results (about 87% accuracy identifying a p21+ senescent cell type from DAPI images), so the approach has early success but expanding to many senescent types is novel.
Where this research is happening
Rochester, United States
- Mayo Clinic Rochester — Rochester, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Passos, Joao — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Passos, Joao
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.