Health & Medicine

Professor Vassilis Gorgoulis among the international scientists that conceived MICSE guidelines published in “Cell”: a universal toolset for cellular senescence in vivo research

Professor Vassilis Gorgoulis among the international scientists that conceived MICSE guidelines published in “Cell”: a universal toolset for cellular senescence in vivo research

Targeting cellular senescence as a therapeutic strategy is considered of great promise to address age-associated diseases including cancer, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, pulmonary, kidney or musculoskeletal diseases. But cellular senescence is a coin with two sides. While chronic senescence is widely implicated in tissue pathology, transiently induced senescence is a vital part of the healing process. Therefore, a deep understanding of senescence processes is needed to tackle precisely the right cells at the right time.

Cellular senescence is a state triggered by stress, characterized by stable cell cycle arrest and increased secretory activity. Recent advancements in tools for studying senescence have opened new possibilities for understanding its diverse roles in health and disease and for exploring senescent cells as therapeutic targets. However, identifying and characterizing senescent cells in tissues and living organisms present several conceptual, methodological, and practical challenges. Traditional markers of senescence, which were originally discovered and validated in cell culture models, often do not function well in the natural tissue environment or “in situ.”

The newly devised “MICSE” guidelines, short for “Minimal Information on Cellular Senescence Experimentation in vivo”, have been developed as toolset that enables a more accurate assessment of the impact of senescent cells on physiological and pathological processes. They provide a comprehensive and updated overview of senescence markers across various contexts and discuss the technical adaptations necessary for the different types of materials available for studying senescence, including biopsies and liquid biopsies like blood samples, and cancer samples, each with their own unique properties and limitations. As there is no single biomarker for cellular senescence, MICSE is based on a uniform toolset of markers and techniques based on multiple indicators that need to be measured simultaneously. The guidelines have now been published in the prestigious scientific journal “Cell”.

The MICSE guidelines were conceived by a group of scientists from Austria, Greece, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, Italy, Japan, Israel, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. Prof Vassilis Gorgoulis, from the Faculty of Medicine, National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, is one of the key scientists of this consortium, who designed new innovative tools that streamline senescence detection. “Art is I, science is we” is a prominent quote by Bernard, one of the name patrons of the initiative. This does by no means speak against the multifaceted nature and varying viewpoints that make science robust. On the contrary, an agreement on basic guidelines allows for scientific discussion and debate across laboratories and country borders. By working together and agreeing on a universal framework, researchers can ensure they all speak the same “language” in order to meet one of the pressing challenges of our societies: the over-aging populations and the high socio-economic burden associated with it, which mandates for strategies to increase the health span of individuals, to get more life into our years.

Graduate Studies Scholarship Opportunity | Info Session

Graduate Studies Scholarship Opportunity | Info Session

In May 2024, Georgetown University-The Earth Commons Institute launched its first summer course in Greece. Did you know, however, that Fulbright Greece since 2022, has offered a unique opportunity to a Greek graduate student for a double scholarship to study at Georgetown University | The Earth Commons—Georgetown’s Institute for Environment & Sustainability? Candidates can select from […]

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Officially Opens the New ‘Athina I. Martinou’ University Oncology Centre at Attikon General University Hospital – A Landmark Facility for Academic Medicine and Public Health

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Officially Opens the New ‘Athina I. Martinou’ University Oncology Centre at Attikon General University Hospital – A Landmark Facility for Academic Medicine and Public Health

The new ‘Athina I. Martinou’ University Oncology Centre was officially opened at Attikon General University Hospital. The facility is part of the 2nd Clinical Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. It was created thanks to the generous donation of Athanasios Martinos and Marina Martinou, who fully funded the […]

University of Athens Participates in International Commission on Mathematical Instruction through Professor Chronis Kynigos

University of Athens Participates in International Commission on Mathematical Instruction through Professor Chronis Kynigos

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens is actively involved in the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI), with Professor Chronis Kynigos serving as Greece’s national representative. ICMI was established in 1908 at the Fourth International Congress of Mathematicians in Rome (see ICMI History) with the initial mandate of analyzing the similarities and differences in […]

Boston University President Visits the University of Athens: A 151-Year Legacy of Collaboration

Boston University President Visits the University of Athens: A 151-Year Legacy of Collaboration

Melissa Gilliam, President of Boston University, visited the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where she was warmly received by the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos. Accompanying President Gilliam were Gloria Waters, Provost and Chief Academic Officer; Tuoyang Mu, Director of International Advancement; and Katerina Lykiardopoulos, member of Boston University’s International Advisory Board. From the University […]

The Department of Pharmacy’s English-Taught Programme Is Now a Reality!

The Department of Pharmacy’s English-Taught Programme Is Now a Reality!

2 October 2025 marked a milestone for the Department of Pharmacy at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens: the MPharm has officially launched! It was the first day of classes for the Integrated Master’s in Pharmacy, and the new intake of students stepped into the University’s lecture halls! People from five countries abroad started […]

University of Athens—Cyprus Branch Achieves Full Compliance

University of Athens—Cyprus Branch Achieves Full Compliance

The accreditation process for the Cyprus Branch of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens has now been fully completed. In its initial phase, the Branch will comprise 4 Schools and 8 Departments, located in two cities: Nicosia and Larnaca. More specifically, the Schools and Departments are as follows: i) School of Health Sciences (Nicosia): […]

Professor Gerassimos D. Pagratis to Deliver Lecture at Princeton University

Professor Gerassimos D. Pagratis to Deliver Lecture at Princeton University

Professor Gerassimos D. Pagratis from the Department of Italian Language and Literature at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens will be giving a lecture at Princeton University on Friday, 3 October 2025, at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Time, US), titled ‘The Septinsular Republic (1800–1807): International Relations, Consular Network, and Diplomacy’. https://hellenic.princeton.edu/events/2025/workshop-gerassimos-d-pagratis-septinsular-republic-1800-1807-international-relations

University of Athens

The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, which was inaugurated on May 3, 1837, was initially housed in a renovated Ottoman building on the northeastern side of the Acropolis. This building has since been restored and now functions as the University Museum. Originally named the "Othonian University," after Otto, the first king of Greece, it consisted of four academic departments and 52 students. As the first university of the newly established Greek state, as well as of the broader Balkan and Mediterranean region, it assumed an important socio-historical role, which was pivotal in the development of specific forms of knowledge and culture within the country.

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