Gorbunova & Seluanov Lab (University of Rochester)
Academic
About
The Gorbunova & Seluanov Laboratory in the Department of Biology at the University of Rochester, run jointly by Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov, studies the mechanisms of longevity and cancer resistance using comparative biology of mammals with very different lifespans, including naked and blind mole-rats, grey squirrels, beavers, bats and the bowhead whale. Its findings include high-molecular-weight hyaluronan as a mediator of naked mole-rat cancer resistance, later shown to improve healthspan when the naked mole-rat Has2 gene was expressed in mice, and SIRT6-driven DNA repair that scales with species lifespan. A second line of work shows that LINE-1 retrotransposons drive age-associated inflammation; in 2026 the university announced an ARPA-H contract to test whether suppressing them helps older adults. The lab's approach matters for ageing research because it treats naturally long-lived species as a source of transferable interventions.
Rating breakdown
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Publications82
- Vera Gorbunova — h-index 84 source ↗
- Andrei Seluanov — h-index 78 source ↗
- SIRT6 promotes DNA repair under stress by activating PARP1 (Mao et al., Science, 2011) ↗
- High-molecular-mass hyaluronan mediates the cancer resistance of the naked mole rat (Tian et al., Nature, 2013) ↗
- L1 drives IFN in senescent cells and promotes age-associated inflammation (De Cecco et al., Nature, 2019) ↗
- SIRT6 is responsible for more efficient DNA double-strand break repair in long-lived species (Tian et al., Cell, 2019) ↗
- Increased hyaluronan by naked mole-rat Has2 improves healthspan in mice (Zhang et al., Nature, 2023) ↗
Discovery0
No geroprotective trials, assets or deals recorded.
Fundraising92
Grants of the organisation's listed people, name-matched via NIH RePORTER ↗.
- Vera Gorbunova: Mechanisms of epigenome stability in long-lived species. · USD 670K · National Institute on Aging 5P01AG047200-13
- Andrei Seluanov: Core C: Mouse Intervention and Neuropathy Core · USD 457K · National Institute on Aging 5P01AG051449-10
- Vera Gorbunova: Administrative Core · USD 252K · National Institute on Aging 5P01AG047200-13
- Andrei Seluanov: Live animal resource for aging research: mole rats, horses, and spiny mice · USD 158K · National Institute on Aging 5P30AG092746-02
Education10
- Vera Gorbunova ARDD speaker 2024;2025 source ↗
- Andrei Seluanov ARDD speaker 2025 source ↗
Key outputs
- publication SIRT6 promotes DNA repair under stress by activating PARP1 (Mao et al., Science, 2011) ↗ 2011
- publication High-molecular-mass hyaluronan mediates the cancer resistance of the naked mole rat (Tian et al., Nature, 2013) ↗ 2013
- publication L1 drives IFN in senescent cells and promotes age-associated inflammation (De Cecco et al., Nature, 2019) ↗ 2019
- publication SIRT6 is responsible for more efficient DNA double-strand break repair in long-lived species (Tian et al., Cell, 2019) ↗ 2019
- publication Increased hyaluronan by naked mole-rat Has2 improves healthspan in mice (Zhang et al., Nature, 2023) ↗ 2023
- publication A cGAS-mediated mechanism in naked mole-rats potentiates DNA repair and delays aging (Science, 2025) ↗ 2025
Investment & funding
| Date | Type | Amount | Detail | Counterparties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02 | government programme | USD 22M | University of Rochester publicly disclosed an ARPA-H PROSPR programme contract of up to $22 million over five years (2026), led by Vera Gorbunova | Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) |
| 2026 | grant | USD 628K | Gorbunova & Seluanov Lab (PI Vera Gorbunova) publicly disclosed (NIH RePORTER) FY2026 award for R01AG027237-16A1, 'Sirtuin 6 intrinsically disordered domain's role in maintaining nuclear architecture...' | National Institute on Aging (NIH) |
| 2026 | grant | USD 693K | Gorbunova & Seluanov Lab (PI Andrei Seluanov) publicly disclosed (NIH RePORTER) FY2026 award for R37AG046320, 'Regulation of epigenome stability by SIRT6 during Aging' | National Institute on Aging (NIH) |
| 2026 | grant | USD 920K | Gorbunova & Seluanov Lab (PI Vera Gorbunova) publicly disclosed (NIH RePORTER) FY2026 award for P30AG092746, 'Upstate NY Comparative Biology of Aging Nathan Shock Center' | National Institute on Aging (NIH) |
Key people
Research fields
Links
Sources
- https://www.sas.rochester.edu/bio/labs/gorbunova/
- https://www.sas.rochester.edu/bio/labs/gorbunova/team/
- https://www.sas.rochester.edu/bio/labs/gorbunova/research/
- https://www.sas.rochester.edu/bio/labs/gorbunova/funding/
- https://www.sas.rochester.edu/bio/labs/gorbunova/team/vera-gorbunova/
- https://www.sas.rochester.edu/bio/people/faculty/seluanov_andrei/index.html
- https://www.sas.rochester.edu/bio/news-events/2023_08_23_molerats.html
- https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/arpa-h-funding-retrotransposons-aging-695032/
- https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11367555
- https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11299583
- https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11361065