SAMIR MORSLI

Samir studied Biomedical Science at The University of Sheffield (UK), where he carried out research on asthma-associated proteins and their regulation of human mast cell function. He followed this with an MSc(Res) in Translational Oncology, which included a research project on developing an in vivo model of castration-resistant prostate cancer in zebrafish.

 In 2015, he was awarded a BBSRC White Rose Mechanistic Biology DTP studentship to carry out his PhD at The University of Sheffield (UK), supervised by Prof. Ilaria Bellantuono and Prof. Stephen Renshaw. During these four years he developed a novel tool to study cellular senescence in vivo by making a transgenic zebrafish for the gene p21 (cdkn1a). He characterised and validated senescence induction in zebrafish larvae following irradiation so it can be used to track these cells live in vivo. He was awarded scholarships to present this research at international meetings including a Keystone Conference (2018, Hannover, Germany) and a Gordon Research Seminar (2019, Maine, USA), at the latter he was elected corresponding chair for the next Biology of Aging GRS in 2023.

Following his PhD he was awarded a grant from the MRC’s Proximity to Discovery Fund to test senolytics in the cdkn1a:GFP zebrafish model. In 2021, he joined Muñoz-Espín’s laboratory to research the role of senescence in lung cancer development, and identifying novel senescence biomarkers and senolytics for improved therapeutic options.

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Publications

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• Morsli S, Bellantuono I. 
  The use of geroprotectors to prevent multimorbidity: opportunities and challenges. 2020.
  Mechanisms of Aging and Development. 193. 
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2020.111391.
   

• Morsli S, Ellis P, Loynes C, Henriques C, Renshaw S, Bellantuono I. 
  A transgenic zebrafish for p21 allows in vivo tracking of senescent cells. 
  In final stages of preparation.

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