The focus of the Kayed laboratory is on the mechanisms of protein aggregation and toxic oligomers in neurodegenerative disease. Recent work from the team demonstrated the role of tau oligomers in promoting cellular senescence via high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) release in tauopathy models. When cultured astrocytes were exposed to these tau oligomers, they showed HMGB1 release and induction of an inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Rakez Kayed, PhD, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, comments on the implications of these findings linking tau with cell senescence. Prof. Kayed believes that targeting cellular senescence in addition to tau targeting may be a beneficial approach, as a plethora of studies have implicated senescence in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases. There is a growing interest in anti-senescence approaches in this research space. This interview took place at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2022 in San Diego, CA.
