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Updated: Sep 23, 2026

Techniques to Induce and Quantify Cellular Senescence
Published on: May 1, 2017
RamanOmics decodes the spatial vibrational-molecular architecture of senescence in aging and repair
Ke Zhang1,2, Xingjian Chen1, Francesco Monticolo1
1Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Aging and tissue repair involve heterogeneous remodeling across transcriptional, biochemical and cellular dimensions, yet prevailing definitions rely on isolated molecular markers that obscure how these states co-evolve. Here we present RamanOmics, a multimodal framework integrating label-free hyperspectral Raman imaging with single-nucleus RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to link biochemical states with transcriptional programs at single-cell spatial resolution. Applied to young and old mouse lung and skin, RamanOmics reveals tissue-specific programs: lung senescent cells are enriched for extracellular matrix remodeling and transforming growth factor-β signaling, whereas skin senescence is dominated by epidermal differentiation genes (Krt10, Lor and Sbsn). Across tissues, we identified a conserved lipid-linked Raman signature (1,131-1,135 cm-1) marking p21+ senescent cells and developed a machine learning-derived, multimodal barcode enabling nondestructive senescence identification in situ. In a mouse wound-healing model, RamanOmics reveals reactivation of epidermal differentiation genes (Krt10, Lor and Sbsn) in senescent cells, alongside increased lipid-associated Raman signatures. Together, RamanOmics provides a tissue-agnostic framework for scalable, multimodal profiling of cellular states.
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