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Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine CMM
  1. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
  2. Research
  3. Center for Epigenomics
  4. Collaborate with Us
  5. Collaborators
  6. Peter Adams

Unraveling Senescence

Cutting-Edge Research with the San Diego Tissue Mapping Center

Dr. Peter Adams is director and professor of the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. He is also a principal investigator (PI) at the San Diego Tissue Mapping Center, a pivotal part of an NIH-funded consortium (including the UC San Diego Center for Epigenomics), which is  focused on mapping the spatial distribution and molecular phenotype of senescence in both mouse and human tissues. 

Collaborating closely with Dr. Bing Ren, PhD, and his team at UC San Diego’s Center for Epigenomics, Dr. Adams is at the forefront of research exploring the biology of aging, the accumulation of senescent cells, and their impact on diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes.

Mapping Senescent Cells

A central aspect of Dr. Adams' research involves qualitatively and quantitatively mapping senescent cells across various tissues, including the liver, bone marrow, hippocampus, mammary glands, and colon. Senescent cells, which accumulate with age, are non-proliferating and often secrete inflammatory molecules that recruit immune cells into the tissue. This chronic inflammation is thought to contribute to various age-related diseases. The NIH and other research bodies are keenly interested in building an atlas of senescent cells to better understand their role in aging and disease.

Advanced Single-Cell and Spatial Technologies

To carry out this research, Dr. Adams' team utilizes cutting-edge single-cell technologies at the Center for Epigenomics such as 10x Multiome for joint single cell analysis of chromatin accessibility and gene expression, Paired-Tag for joint single cell analysis of histone modifications and gene expression, snm3C-seq for single cell combined analysis of DNA methylation and 3D chromatin architecture, as well as spatial transcriptomics tools such as MERFISH. These technologies allow for the analysis of gene expression and chromatin accessibility at an unprecedented level of detail. By analyzing individual cells within their spatial context, the team can gain transformative insights into the cellular changes that occur with aging.

The Role of Aging in Cancer

In addition to his work on senescence, Dr. Adams is deeply interested in the role of aging in cancer, particularly liver cancer breast cancer and leukemia. Aging is the single biggest risk factor for most human cancers, and Dr. Adams' lab has developed new mouse models to study how aging accelerates cancer development. These models have shown that older mice develop faster-growing cancers than younger ones, highlighting the importance of understanding the molecular changes that occur with age and how they contribute to cancer progression.

Collaboration and Expertise

Dr. Adams' choice to collaborate with the Center for Epigenomics was driven by the center's reputation for excellence in single-cell and spatial technologies. The $10 million grant supporting this work is a testament to the center's leadership in the field. Dr. Adams and his team work closely with computational experts, both within Bing Ren's team and at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, to analyze the complex data generated by these technologies. Regular meetings and discussions ensure that the research stays at the cutting edge of scientific discovery.

Transformative Technologies

 The technologies employed by Dr. Adams' team have revolutionized the way scientists study gene expression and cellular function. In the past, researchers could only examine the expression of one gene in millions of cells simultaneously, losing critical details about individual cell behavior. Today, with single-cell and spatial techniques, researchers like Dr. Adams can explore thousands of genes in individual cells within a tissue, preserving the spatial context of these cells. This ability to analyze cellular processes at such a granular level is fundamentally transforming the field of aging research.

Looking Ahead

 Dr. Adams' work represents a significant leap forward in our understanding of aging and its impact on health. By mapping senescent cells, studying the role of aging in cancer, and leveraging advanced single-cell technologies, his research is poised to make crucial contributions to the field. The insights gained from his work not only deepen our understanding of the biology of aging but also pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to age-related diseases.