Impact
John Sedivy is a cell biologist who directs Brown University's Center on the Biology of Aging. His laboratory studies cellular senescence, the epigenetic and chromatin changes of senescent cells, and the consequences of their accumulation in aging tissues. With Vera Gorbunova, he showed over more than a decade that retrotransposons, virus-like repetitive sequences in the genome, become active in senescent cells and with age, and that LINE-1 retrotransposons can trigger interferon signalling and age-associated inflammation. His group also reported that reduced MYC expression extends lifespan and healthspan in mice (Cell, 2015) and documented senescent cell accumulation in aging primates (Science, 2006). This work has moved toward intervention: in 2026 Sedivy and Gorbunova were announced as leads of an ARPA-H–funded, multi-institution project (award of up to $22 million) testing whether the reverse transcriptase inhibitor censavudine (TPN-101) can reduce retrotransposon-driven inflammation and markers of biological aging in adults aged 60 to 65. For longevity readers he is a central figure in the 'dark genome' or transposon theory of inflammaging and its translation into a human trial.
Metrics
- h-index 89 · google scholar as of 2026-09-23 source ↗
Research output
261 works · 33,910 citations · h-index 79 OpenAlex ↗
Selected publications
- Cellular Senescence: Defining a Path Forward ↗ 2019 · 3,339 citations
- Requirement for p53 and p21 to Sustain G 2 Arrest After DNA Damage ↗ 1998 · 2,830 citations
- Mitochondrial DNA Mutations, Oxidative Stress, and Apoptosis in Mammalian Aging ↗ 2005 · 2,190 citations
- Telomere Shortening Triggers Senescence of Human Cells through a Pathway Involving ATM, p53, and p21CIP1, but Not p16INK4a ↗ 2004 · 1,352 citations
- L1 drives IFN in senescent cells and promotes age-associated inflammation ↗ 2019 · 1,317 citations
Research funding
41 NIH awards · USD 34M total NIH RePORTER ↗
- Role of Retrotransposon Activity in Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease National Institute on Aging · 2022 · USD 3M
- Role of Retrotransposon Activity in Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease National Institute on Aging · 2023 · USD 3M
- Role of Retrotransposon Activity in Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease National Institute on Aging · 2024 · USD 3M
- Role of Retrotransposon Activity in Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease National Institute on Aging · 2026 · USD 3M
- Role of Retrotransposon Activity in Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease National Institute on Aging · 2025 · USD 3M