Cellular Senescence and Periodontal Disease

Megi Hysa, COL ’26, Philadelphia, PA

This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to continue my research at the Sahingur Lab in the Penn School of Dental Medicine, where I have been working since the summer of 2023. Under the mentorship of Dr. Xia-Juan, I reinforced and expanded my skill set by performing a variety of lab techniques, including cell culture work, murine dissections, Western blots, RT-PCR, qPCR, fluorescent microscopy, and ELISAs. Additionally, I practiced placing ligatures around the second molar (M2) in mice—a powerful in vivo model for evaluating the morphological and histological changes in periodontal tissues caused by periodontal disease. These hands-on experiences allowed me to build on the foundation I laid last summer and will greatly benefit me in future laboratory work.

Previously, I had studied the senolytic effects of various flavonoids as pharmacological treatments for mitigating cellular aging and periodontal disease. Cellular aging, senescence, and periodontal disease are closely interconnected. Building on this work, our focus this year shifted towards elucidating the underlying mechanisms—specifically the role of mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction—in the development of cellular senescence and its contribution to the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. Our project this summer largely involved culturing bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from wild-type and genetically modified mice with targeted gene deletions. We treated these cells with various agents known to mimic the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), a key factor in chronic inflammation and cellular aging. Following treatment, we quantified and analyzed the expression of various genes, proteins, and other inflammation markers that are indicative of overall cellular health, aging, and mitochondrial and lysosomal function. This work provided me with deeper insights into the complex molecular mechanisms underlying aging, senescence, periodontal disease, and systemic inflammation, and reinforced my passion for this field of study.

While learning new techniques and reinforcing my understanding of existing ones, I also helped train our newest lab members—something that I found to be highly rewarding and enjoyable. This invaluable experience allowed me to grow both professionally and personally. I am incredibly grateful to Career Services for their support, which helped cover many of the expenses I encountered while researching this summer.

This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2024 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here

By Career Services
Career Services