Harvard, MIT Unveil RamanOmics to Spot Senescent Cells in 26-Month Mice
Updated
Updated · dongascience.com · Sep 21
Harvard, MIT Unveil RamanOmics to Spot Senescent Cells in 26-Month Mice
3 articles · Updated · dongascience.com · Sep 21
Summary
Nature Aging published a Harvard-MIT study describing RamanOmics, a laser-based method that identifies senescent “zombie cells” and gauges biological age without destroying the cells.
Using skin and lung tissue from 2-month and 26-month mice, the team combined Raman microscopy with spatial transcriptomics to link each cell’s chemical makeup to its aging state.
Older cells showed higher lipid buildup, while aged lung tissue showed stronger immune-activation and inflammation gene activity, helping researchers define Raman patterns tied to cellular aging.
The researchers said the approach works across tissue types and are now adapting it for human tissue, with a longer-term goal of real-time endoscopic detection inside the body.