{
  "id": 8887477,
  "title": "AI-powered barcode unmasks 'zombie cells' in aging tissue",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/ai-powered-barcode-unmasks-zombie-cells-in-aging-tissue",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-21T09:00:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-powered-barcode-unmasks-zombie.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As individuals age, certain cells within their bodies enter a state of senescence, where they cease dividing but do not perish. These senescent cells can contribute to various age-related disorders, including cancer, tissue degeneration, and inflammatory diseases. MIT researchers have recently developed a noninvasive method to detect biomarkers of senescence, bringing us closer to better diagnostic and treatment options for these diseases. This novel approach utilizes Raman microscopy, a technique that reveals the biochemical composition of cells without causing harm. By integrating Raman microscopy with gene expression data at single-cell resolution from the same cells, the researchers were able to identify unique barcodes capable of swiftly identifying senescent cells. The study was conducted on mouse cells but the researchers are currently working on adapting the method for use with human tissue. Jeon Woong Kang, an MIT research scientist and senior author of the study, believes that future advancements may involve the development of an endoscope to detect cellular senescence within the human body. This research is part of the National Institutes of Health's Cellular Senescence Network, which aims to deepen the understanding of senescence and potentially develop therapies to counteract the tissue-damaging effects of these cells. The study, published in Nature Aging, involved lead authors Ke Zhang, Xingjian Chen, Francesco Monticolo, and Salvatore Sorrentino, along with senior authors Peter So and Jian Shu. Cell senescence is often triggered by DNA damage, leading to an irreversible halt in the cell cycle, without causing cell death. Instead, these cells undergo significant alterations in their shape, metabolic processes, and gene expression profiles. The immune system typically eliminates these senescent cells, but as people age, this process becomes less efficient, leading to an accumulation of senescent cells that can contribute to aging-related issues such as sagging skin, muscle weakness, and chronic conditions like osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes. While cellular senescence has been identified as a pathological condition, it also plays crucial roles in embryonic development and tissue regeneration. Currently, biomarkers for senescence include two proteins, p16 and p21, but these proteins can only be identified using a destructive process. The MIT team sought to develop a noninvasive method to identify senescent cells by employing Raman microscopy, a nondestructive technique that analyzes the chemical composition of tissues or cells using near-infrared or visible light. The researchers combined Raman microscopy with spatial RNA sequencing, which reveals where genes are active within a tissue, to generate a comprehensive picture of the distinctive features of senescent cells. By analyzing both single-cell gene expression and Raman microscopy, the researchers examined skin and lung tissue from young and aged mice. One notable change observed in both lung and skin cells was an increase in lipid synthesis and accumulation in older cells. The researchers also discovered specific effects in each tissue, such as altered cellular pathways related to muscle contraction and collagen remodeling in senescent skin cells, and increased activity of immune-related genes in aged lung tissue. The researchers identified a combination of Raman peaks correlated with senescence, linked to the presence of specific lipids, proteins, or other molecules. By using these key Raman features and gene signatures, they created a barcode that can help identify senescent cells in a more unbiased manner. This barcode technology could enable diagnostics that detect senescent cells based on specific Raman bands, potentially leading to improved disease diagnosis and treatment.",
  "summary": "As we age, some of the cells in our body enter a state of senescence, in which they stop dividing but do not die. Those senescent cells can contribute to age-related disorders such as cancer, tissue degeneration and inflammatory diseases. In an advance that could lead to better ways to diagnose and treat those diseases, MIT researchers have developed a noninvasive way to detect biomarkers of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}