Paul Robbins

About

Paul Robbins, PhD, is a Professor of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics at the University of Minnesota. He serves as the Associate Director of the Masonic Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism (MiBAM) and is part of the Medical Discovery Team on the Biology of Aging. His research has significantly contributed to understanding gene regulation and autoimmune diseases. Robbins was among the first to identify enhancer elements that regulate transcription at a distance and to demonstrate that the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor regulates transcription. He also developed gene therapies for autoimmune diseases, including an ongoing clinical trial for osteoarthritis. His recent work involves identifying senotherapeutic compounds capable of reducing senescent cell burden and extending healthspan and lifespan in mouse models, with these compounds now in more than 15 clinical trials for age-related diseases and conditions. His research focuses on pathways that drive autoimmune, inflammatory, and age-related degenerative diseases, emphasizing the inhibition of transcription factors like NF-κB and IL-1ß signaling. Robbins' lab develops novel approaches to treat diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and osteoarthritis using biologics, small molecules, gene transfer techniques, stem cells, microvesicles, and drugs that reverse cellular senescence, aiming to improve healthy aging.

Research topics

• Biology
• Genetics
• Medicine
• Cell biology
• Internal medicine
• Immunology
• Computational biology
• Virology
• Bioinformatics
• Gerontology

Selected publications

• A new gene set identifies senescent cells and predicts senescence-associated pathways across tissues

  Nature Communications · 2022 · 933 citations

  Although cellular senescence drives multiple age-related co-morbidities through the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, in vivo senescent cell identification remains challenging. Here, we generate a gene set (SenMayo) and validate its enrichment in bone biopsies from two aged human cohorts. We further demonstrate reductions in SenMayo in bone following genetic clearance of senescent cells in mice and in adipose tissue from humans following pharmacological senescent cell clearance. We next…

  DOI

• An aged immune system drives senescence and ageing of solid organs

  Nature · 2021 · 927 citations

  DOI

• Cellular senescence: a key therapeutic target in aging and diseases

  Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2022 · 557 citations

  Cellular senescence is a hallmark of aging defined by stable exit from the cell cycle in response to cellular damage and stress. Senescent cells (SnCs) can develop a characteristic pathogenic senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that drives secondary senescence and disrupts tissue homeostasis, resulting in loss of tissue repair and regeneration. The use of transgenic mouse models in which SnCs can be genetically ablated has established a key role for SnCs in driving aging and age-rel…

  DOI

• Senolytics reduce coronavirus-related mortality in old mice

  Science · 2021 · 318 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the pronounced vulnerability of the elderly and chronically ill to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced morbidity and mortality. Cellular senescence contributes to inflammation, multiple chronic diseases, and age-related dysfunction, but effects on responses to viral infection are unclear. Here, we demonstrate that senescent cells (SnCs) become hyper-inflammatory in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), incl…

  DOI

• NIH SenNet Consortium to map senescent cells throughout the human lifespan to understand physiological health

  Nature Aging · 2022 · 122 citations

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Administrative Core

  NIH · $10.6M · 2021–2026

• Administrative Supplement to: Cell Autonomous and Non-Autonomous Mechanisms of Aging

  NIH · $17.7M · 2019–2020

• NIH Grant R56AG059675

  NIH · $385k · 2019

Frequent coauthors

• Laura J. Niedernhofer

  University of Minnesota

  243 shared

• Christopher H. Evans

  214 shared

• Steven C. Ghivizzani

  138 shared

• Andrea Gambotto

  UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

  77 shared

• Michael T. Lotze

  55 shared

• Luise Angelini

  University of Minnesota System

  52 shared

• Matthew J. Yousefzadeh

  Institute on Aging

  51 shared

• Hideaki Tahara

  Osaka International Cancer Institute

  48 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Molecular Biology

  University of California Berkeley

  1985

• B.A., Biology

  Haverford College

  1980

Awards & honors

• Dr. James E. Rubin Medical Memorial Award
• Graduating Medical Student Research Award
• Veneziale-Steer Award
• Dr. Marvin and Hadassah Bacaner Research Awards
• Schmidt Steer Award

Similar researchers at University of Minnesota

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• Yue Chenh-83
• Michael Freemanh-77