GELIFES Seminars - Rob Henning

Rob Henning (UMCG)

Cell protection in hibernation

Mechanisms and biomedical applications

Hibernation consists of hypometabolic, hypothermic periods lasting several days (called torpor bouts) that are alternated with shorter arousals during which normal physiology rapidly resumes. To cope with these rapid changes to the extremes of physiology, hibernators have evolved powerful protection strategies. For instance, while organs of hibernators contract damage during torpor, this occurs at a far slower rate than in non-hibernators, including humans. Part of the hibernator’s resistence to damage is cell-autonomous, as exemplified by cultured hibernator cells surviving extended periods of cooling far better than cells of non-hibernating rat or humans. Having identified the mechanism of cell protection against cooling in golden hamster, we have developed a novel class of compounds based on phenotypical screening, which is currently under clinical testing in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Meanwhile, we are exploring genome protective strategies of hibernators, particularly using the Linnaeusborg-based colony of garden dormice.

Biosketch:
“I am emeritus professor of Pharmacology at the UMCG, and now working at GELIFES for 3 days per week. After obtaining my MD, I was trained as anesthesiologist in Leiden and practised a few years. Thereafter, I turned to experimental pharmacology, obtained a PhD and founded my own group with a particular interest in organ protective strategies focussing on the cardiovascular and renal system. The past decade I have centered on understanding cell protective measures during hibernation across various species (hamster, mouse, dormouse), often in close collaboration with colleagues at GELIFES. I am actively engaged with researchers at UMCG to investigate how hibernators preserve genomic integrity under extreme physiological conditions, combining next-generation DNA and RNA sequencing with advanced bioinformatics approaches.”