Long before gray hair and joint pain emerge, aging quietly takes root at the cellular level.
At the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Associate Professor Lina Cui, Ph.D., is exploring these early biological changes. Through her lab and startup company, Senotrac Biotechnology, she is creating innovative tools to detect senescent cells, which are linked to Alzheimer’s and other age-related diseases.
“Senescence happens when aging cells stop dividing but remain alive,” Cui said. “As we age, these cells build up in the body and cause a range of health problems. Our goal is to detect these cells and find ways to eliminate them.”
When senescence cells stop dividing but do not die, they stay in a dysfunctional state. These “zombie” cells can interfere with healthy cells and cause a wide range of health issues, including inflammation, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The buildup of senescent cells becomes especially concerning in the brain, where they are associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and may impair thinking and memory over time.
During the past 10-15 years, scientists have increasingly recognized the role of senescent cells in aging and disease, sparking a wave of interest in senolytic therapies. Biotech and pharmaceutical companies are now racing to develop drugs that target and eliminate these harmful, aging cells.
Supported by major grants from the National Institutes of Health and private businesses, the Cui lab at UF has been developing a pipeline of senescence probe molecules that detect and/or kill senescent cells in cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.
Senotrac Biotechnology
Backed by grants from the National Institutes of Health’s Small Business Technology Transfer program, Senotrac Biotechnology was founded in 2022 and builds upon Cui’s expertise in medicinal chemistry to create molecules that detect and potentially eliminate senescent cells. The company’s current focus is Alzheimer’s disease, where these molecules could help identify the earliest signs of cellular aging and guide new treatments.
“Starting a company from our academic lab gives us the ability to push the research forward without waiting for outside industry interest,” Cui said. “Many companies hesitate to take on early-stage risk, but by developing the technology ourselves, we can refine our molecules and strategies with full control. This increases the chances of success as it moves closer to a clinical breakthrough.”
Senotrac Biotechnology has been collaborating with Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa to test their senescence-targeting molecules through positron emission tomography, or PET, imaging. It’s a powerful medical imaging technique used to observe biological processes in real time. In preclinical animal studies, PET imaging provides crucial insights into how the molecules behave in the body and how accurately they pinpoint areas of cellular aging.
The imaging data collected at Moffitt will play a critical role in the biotech company’s next phase: applying for a phase II NIH grant or seeking venture capitalists to fund a first-in-human study. If successful, this would mark a significant step toward translating Senotrac Biotechnology’s lab discoveries into diagnostic tools and therapies that could be used in clinical settings.
A helping hand
Starting a company was not always part of Cui’s career plan, but the idea lingered in the back of her mind. She watched former mentors launch startups to expand their research. As her academic work progressed, she recognized that forming a company could accelerate the development and application of her molecules.
“Launching a startup involves more steps than you can imagine,” Cui said. “I’m especially thankful for UF Innovate, as they were a driving force behind my company.”
UF Innovate helps translate academic research into innovation, and for Cui, it provided both the training and the infrastructure to launch her startup. Through entrepreneurship training programs such as I-Corps and NIH-assistance programs, she received the knowledge needed to start her company.
With support from Innovate, Senotrac Biotechnology set up its lab at the UF Innovate | Accelerate at Sid Martin Biotech in Alachua, Florida. Since 2023, Cui’s research team has used the space to develop their senescence-targeting molecules.
“Starting a business means stepping outside the lab and learning things you never expected,” Cui said. “It is challenging, but very rewarding. Watching our science move toward real-world application is exciting and presents a whole new dimension of my career.”