MCB Joint Seminar Series: Guang Yao "Modeling and Modulating the Cellular States of Dormancy"

When

11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., Sept. 9, 2025

Where

Biosciences West, Room 208

Presenter Details

Dr. Guang Yao, Associate Professor, Molecular & Cellular Biology, UArizona

You can read more at the Yao Lab Website

Seminar Information

Most cells in the human body exist in dormant rather than proliferative states. Among these non-dividing cells, quiescence represents a reversible "sleeping" state—encompassing tissue-resident stem cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells that await reactivation for tissue maintenance and repair. Senescence, conversely, has traditionally been characterized as a permanent cell cycle exit triggered by various stressors in proliferating cells. While conventional wisdom suggested that exiting the cell cycle into quiescence protected cells from stress-induced senescence, our recent research reveals a more nuanced relationship. We have uncovered mechanistic connections and blurred boundaries between these two dormancy states. Through integrated modeling and experimental approaches, we explore the profound implications of this finding for tissue regeneration capacity, cancer dormancy mechanisms, and the progression of age-related pathologies.

Seminar Host

Dr. Lisa Nagy (MCB)

Contacts

Whitney DeGroot