Topic :

Senescence in Ageing Skin : A New Focus on mTORC1 and the Lysosome

About Dr. Carroll

Dr. Bernadette Carroll is a Wellcome-funded Research Fellow in the School of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol. She completed her PhD at Imperial College London, where she investigated the regulation of cell-cell adhesion by small GTPases, particularly how nutrient starvation influences their spatio-temporal activity, a focus that continues to drive her research today. Her postdoctoral work at Newcastle University and ongoing research in Bristol centre on the molecular cell biology of the nutrient-responsive mTORC1-autophagy axis. This pathway plays a critical role in balancing biosynthesis, degradation, and recycling to maintain cellular proteostasis and homeostasis. Dr. Carroll’s group studies the mechanisms that govern the spatial regulation and activity of these pathways and how disruptions in this balance contribute to cellular senescence, a key tumour suppressor mechanism.

Summary :

In her talk, Dr. Carroll will explore how dysregulation of the mTORC1-autophagy pathway contributes to cellular senescence—a state of permanent cell cycle arrest triggered by stressors such as DNA damage or oncogene activation. Despite their non-proliferative state, senescent cells maintain active growth signalling, leading to increased cell size and organelle content—phenotypes that can be reversed by rapamycin, underscoring the central role of this pathway.

She will present recent findings on how growth factor signalling and amino acid sensing are altered in senescent cells, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms underlying lysosomal dysfunction—a defining feature of senescence. The talk will also examine the broader metabolic rewiring that supports senescent cell survival and consider the potential of targeting these pathways for senolytic therapies.

Skin Ageing & Challenges 2025
November 11-12 - Valencia, Spain
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