The 2025 Doctoral Anne Martin-Matthews Prize of Excellence in Research on Aging

Each year, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research-Institute of Aging (CIHR-IA) recognizes the highest ranked doctoral trainee in the field of aging from the CIHR open doctoral competition as the CIHR-IA Anne Martin-Matthews Prize of Excellence in Research on Aging recipient.

Recipient

Jerry Chen, University of Toronto

Jerry is a PhD student from the University of Toronto. He has previously obtained his BSc. in Molecular Genetics and MSc. in Pharmacology from the University of Alberta. He is interested in the genetic vulnerabilities of aging cells, and how to develop new targeted therapeutics to help treat a variety of age-related diseases.

A major driver of aging is cellular senescence, a phenomenon whereby cells permanently cease dividing due to a variety of damages. Cellular senescence directly contributes to aging, frailty and cancer risk by impairing tissue function and contributing to chronic inflammation. To expand the repertoire of drug targets in cellular senescence, Jerry will explore genome-wide screens to discover genetic dependencies of senescent cells. From these screens, the gene targets identified will serve as strong starting points for rational drug design. This includes computation aided design and screening of protein binders against senescent gene targets. Overall, this project will explore comprehensive genetic profiles of senescence genetic dependencies, and screen for binder candidates for senotherapeutic development.

Date modified:

2026-02-13