Using AI and lab tests to predict harmful aging cells in people
Official title: Leveraging Multi-Scale Deep Phenotyping and Applied Machine Learning to Predict Senescent Cell Burden in Humans
Funded at Buck Institute for Research on Aging · NIH-11176284 · Data updated 2026-11-12
We use advanced laboratory measurements and artificial intelligence to estimate how many senescent (aging) cells are present across different tissues in people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Buck Institute for Research on Aging NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Novato, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $302,384 |
| NIH project number | 5U54AG075932-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11176284 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are older adults or people with age-related health conditions who can provide blood or tissue samples or attend participating clinics for testing.
✕Less likely to help
Young, healthy people without age-related conditions or those unwilling to provide samples or clinic visits are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
This project collects detailed biological data from human tissues and blood and applies multiple laboratory technologies alongside machine learning to identify senescent cells. Researchers will combine molecular markers, imaging, and other tests across different tissue types to build an atlas showing where and how many senescent cells appear with aging and disease. The team will analyze existing and newly collected human samples using an integrated data core to train predictive models of senescent cell burden. The aim is to produce reliable measures that could later be used as clinical biomarkers or to guide treatments that target these aging cells.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could enable earlier detection and tracking of harmful aging cells and help tailor therapies that remove them.
How similar studies have gone: Senolytic treatments have shown benefits in animal models and small human biomarker studies are emerging, but a full human tissue atlas of senescent cells is still novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Novato, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Furman, David — Buck Institute for Research on Aging
- Study coordinator: Furman, David
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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.