Payel Sen, Ph.D.

Stadtman Investigator

RNA Regulation Section

NIA

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251 Bayview Boulevard
Room 10B131
Baltimore, MD 21224

410-454-8428

payel.sen@nih.gov

Research Topics

Manipulation of epigenetic states in multiple models can delay the onset of aging, extend lifespan and healthspan, and ameliorate disease symptoms. My long-term vision is to discover key epigenetic mechanisms driving aging. Using the mouse model and combining experimental, computational, and high-throughput genome-scale approaches we are identifying new druggable epigenetic targets to counter the functional decline and diseases of aging.

Biography

Dr. Sen earned her bachelor's degree in Physiology and master's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Calcutta, India. She obtained her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry from Southern Illinois University, where her research focused on the fundamental mechanisms of chromatin remodeling complexes. She then joined the Epigenetics Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, expanding her work to investigate epigenetic regulators beyond chromatin remodelers that influence senescence and aging. Dr. Sen has received awards and fellowships from the American Heart Association, the American Federation for Aging Research, the Paul F. Glenn Foundation, the Hevolution Foundation, and the NIH. In 2019, she joined the NIA as a Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigator, where she leads the Functional Epigenomics Unit.

Selected Publications

  1. Occean JR, Yang N, Sun Y, Dawkins MS, Munk R, Belair C, Dar S, Anerillas C, Wang L, Shi C, Dunn C, Bernier M, Price NL, Kim JS, Cui CY, Fan J, Bhattacharyya M, De S, Maragkakis M, de Cabo R, Sidoli S, Sen P. Gene body DNA hydroxymethylation restricts the magnitude of transcriptional changes during aging. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):6357.
  2. Yang N, Occean JR, Melters DP, Shi C, Wang L, Stransky S, Doyle ME, Cui CY, Delannoy M, Fan J, Slama E, Egan JM, De S, Cunningham SC, de Cabo R, Sidoli S, Dalal Y, Sen P. A hyper-quiescent chromatin state formed during aging is reversed by regeneration. Mol Cell. 2023;83(10):1659-1676.e11.
  3. Sen P, Donahue G, Li C, Egervari G, Yang N, Lan Y, Robertson N, Shah PP, Kerkhoven E, Schultz DC, Adams PD, Berger SL. Spurious intragenic transcription is a feature of mammalian cellular senescence and tissue aging. Nat Aging. 2023;3(4):402-417.
  4. Sen P, Lan Y, Li CY, Sidoli S, Donahue G, Dou Z, Frederick B, Chen Q, Luense LJ, Garcia BA, Dang W, Johnson FB, Adams PD, Schultz DC, Berger SL. Histone Acetyltransferase p300 Induces De Novo Super-Enhancers to Drive Cellular Senescence. Mol Cell. 2019;73(4):684-698.e8.
  5. Sen P, Shah PP, Nativio R, Berger SL. Epigenetic Mechanisms of Longevity and Aging. Cell. 2016;166(4):822-839.

Related Scientific Focus Areas

This page was last updated on Tuesday, February 25, 2025