In the fall of 2025, Prof. Messersmith became PI of former Prof. Irina Conboy’s group after Irina left UC Berkeley. We are grateful for Irina’s many years of distinguished research on various aspects of aging, and we look forward to continuing this important work. Listed below are several ongoing projects.
Clearing Senescent and Cancer Cells to Promote Healthy Aging
Eliminating damaged, non-dividing cells that accumulate with age (senescent cells) along with cancer cells presents a powerful therapeutic strategy against aging and tumor progression. We are advancing a novel drug combination designed to safely eliminate both senescent and cancer cells by exploiting their dysfunctional metabolism. Our research shows improved physical function and extended lifespan in mice, while avoiding the toxic side effects that limit current treatments. Our goal is to create an accessible, effective therapeutic strategy to promote healthier aging and reduce cancer burden.
Counteracting Aging ‘Noise’ to Preserve Tissue Function
Aging is accompanied by profound shifts in tissue function driven by both local and systemic changes. Recent work from the lab has proposed that aging is not only a loss of youthful signals, but also an active accumulation of cellular “noise,” characterized by increased and dysregulated protein production that destabilizes tissue homeostasis. Building on this systems-level view, we also demonstrated in a preclinical model of cancer-associated muscle wasting that Oxytocin treatment can restore balanced protein synthesis, preserve muscle mass, and improve functional strength, pointing to a promising therapeutic avenue for counteracting cachexia. Together, these studies illustrate how systemic factors and molecular pathways interact to shape tissue resilience across aging and disease, guiding our broader efforts to identify mechanisms that support healthy function across the lifespan.
Representative Papers
Sviercovich, A., Mei, X., Xie, G., Conboy, M. J., & Conboy, I. M. (2025). The dominance of old blood, and age-related increase in protein production and noise. Ageing Research Reviews, 104, 102641. [Link]
Small Drug Therapies for Age-Related Diseases
The rising incidence of age-related diseases necessitates innovative therapeutic strategies, with small-molecule drugs offering a promising avenue. Utilizing compounds that can alter key signaling pathways dysregulated in aging offers a potential therapeutic approach to counteract the degenerative processes like sarcopenia (muscle loss), osteopenia, and osteoporosis (bone density loss). Furthermore, small-molecule intervention can potentially be employed to accelerate wound healing in the aged population with diminished regenerative potential, representing a multifaceted strategy to improve health span and quality of life.
Mechanotransduction Failure in Aging Muscle Stem Cells
Age-related alterations in the muscle microenvironment substantially change the signals that regulate stem-cell activation and tissue repair. Increased stiffness of the extracellular matrix disrupts key mechanotransduction pathways required for efficient regeneration. By integrating bioinformatic analyses with controlled experimental studies, we are uncovering how impaired mechanical sensing and reduced cellular responsiveness contribute to delayed or incomplete muscle recovery. At the same time, we are showing that dysregulated matrix-remodeling processes and the presence of senescent stromal and immune cells help sustain a chronically dysfunctional niche. Ultimately, we aim to identify mechanical and biochemical strategies that can restore a supportive regenerative environment, opening new avenues to enhance muscle repair and improve functional outcomes in aging tissues.
Representative Papers
Etienne, J., Liu, C., Skinner, C. M., Conboy, M. J., & Conboy, I. M. (2020). Skeletal muscle as an experimental model of choice to study tissue aging and rejuvenation. Skeletal Muscle, 10(1), 4. [Link]
Multi-Omic Profiling of Circulating Molecules in Aging
The composition of circulating blood undergoes profound changes with aging, and previous studies have shown that replacing aged plasma with albumin-supplemented serum can exert rejuvenating effects across multiple organs. Our research aims to identify key circulating molecules that shape the aging trajectory and may serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets. To achieve this, we perform both targeted and untargeted analyses across multiple layers of biomolecules, including nucleotides, proteins, and metabolites, and use statistical and bioinformatic approaches to uncover the biological alterations that accompany aging.
