Understanding the relationship between cellular senescence and cancer is crucial in developing innovative treatments for age-related diseases and cancer. Ageing, cellular growth and cancer development appear to be different processes, but they may have common origins.

Cellular senescence is a state of permanent cell cycle arrest accompanied by a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), macromolecular damage, and altered metabolism.

In cancer, various factors such as oncogene expression, cancerous mutations, radiation, chemotherapy, and even inflammation-related cytokines can induce senescence. However, due to genomic instability, cancer cells often find ways to bypass this growth arrest, leading to uncontrolled proliferation and metastasis. Therefore, understanding and measuring this dynamic process is crucial for developing targeted cancer therapies.

To understand this phenomenon, researchers from the University of Tübingen and Nanion Technologies have utilized the advanced cell analytics system, AtlaZ, to implement Electric Cell-Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS). This label-free method allows for real-time monitoring of cell layer integrity, providing continuous data on cellular toxicity and senescence under physiological conditions.

Our findings show:

✅ Senescence-mediated growth arrest can be detected using impedance measurements of cancer cells.

✅ Dynamics of senescence-mediated growth arrest, induced by compound treatments, can be investigated using AtlaZ.

✅ Multi-frequency impedance data allow for a non-invasive continuous monitoring of cells with the option to zoom in on certain cell aspects or to tailor the readout to individual cell types for improved data interpretation.

This breakthrough in live-cell analytics not only enhances our understanding of cellular senescence but also paves the way for more precise and effective cancer treatments. The AtlaZ system’s ability to provide non-invasive, continuous monitoring makes it an invaluable tool for researchers.

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