Manuel Serrano

At a glance

• Manuel Serrano is a Spanish molecular biologist. He worked for many years at the CNIO cancer research centre in Madrid and then at IRB Barcelona, and since 2022 has been at Altos Labs’ Cambridge Institute.
• In the early 1990s he co-discovered the protein p16INK4a, a brake on cell division that is now one of the best-known markers of cellular senescence.
• In 1997 he described how an activated cancer gene can force cells into a permanent resting state, ‘oncogene-induced senescence’: a natural brake on cancer.
• His team later showed that cells can be reprogrammed to an embryonic-like state even inside a living animal, and that senescent cells can promote this process.
• A co-author of The Hallmarks of Aging, he now studies how senescence and reprogramming can contribute to tissue repair and rejuvenation.
• For longevity, his work is fundamental because senescence and reprogramming are two of the most discussed targets in the field.
• Takeaway: therapies against senescent cells and reprogramming are still experimental; wait for clinical trials before drawing conclusions.