The Charles Perkins Centre is delighted to announce that the third recipient of the Len Storlien Award is Ms Sunny Lee, a PhD candidate at the Charles Perkins Centre’s Yeo Lab.
Ms Lee’s winning research focuses on the effect of matrix proteins on cell fitness and senescence in mesenchymal stromal cells.
The Charles Perkins Centre Len Storlien Award was established in 2023 in memory of Professor Len Storlien, who worked closely with the Charles Perkins Centre’s community of academics and researchers in various roles as supervisor, colleague and mentor at different times over many decades.
Supporting early career researchers
"Len was a great champion of early career researchers, including a number of our current professoriate. The Charles Perkins Centre’s Biology Domain established this Award to reflect Len’s support and recognise his legacy,” said Professor David James, Leonard P Ullman Chair of Metabolic Systems Biology and ARC Laureate Fellow at the Charles Perkins Centre.
“The shortlist in this year’s Awards was truly outstanding, not just in their research but in their ability to communicate complex concepts. I congratulate all those on the shortlist, and our third recipient of the Award, Ms Sunny Lee,” said Professor James.
The shortlisted candidates presented their topics at special Biology Domain awards event in December, describing a broad range of projects.
“I am very fortunate to be surrounded by exceptional researchers, particularly my fellow finalists, whose outstanding work and communication skills continually motivate me to elevate my own,” said Sunny.
I sincerely thank the Charles Perkins Centre, the Biology Domain and the School of Life and Environmental Sciences Molecular Cells and Organisms theme as well as the enduring legacy of Professor Storlien for all the support.
Ms Sunny Lee
PhD candidate
Innovation, diversity and a strong culture of collaboration
“It was a privilege to present at the Biology Domain to a research community that embodies innovation, diversity and a strong culture of collaboration.”
Associate Professor Giselle Yeo, Sunny’s PhD supervisor, congratulated Sunny on her award.
“Congratulations to Sunny on this well-deserved recognition of her hard work and strong potential as an emerging researcher in the field. Sunny is not only a talented and rigorous scientist but also has an exceptional ability to engage the audience and articulate the broader impact of her work,” said Professor Yeo.
The Biology Domain supports the Charles Perkins Centre’s early- and mid-career researchers (EMCRs) through its seminar series with a monthly session given entirely by EMCRs. This hones research skills as well as presentation skills.
The Award is open to all students affiliated with the Charles Perkins Biology Domain and was judged by a cohort of Charles Perkins Centre researchers. This year’s award includes a $1500 prize for international conference attendance.
“I am honoured to be the recipient of the Len Storlien Award for 2025. This award provides me with the opportunity to travel to the University of Copenhagen later this year to attend Aging Research and Drug Discovery meeting.
"I will present my research on matrix biology and cellular senescence to the international scientific community,” said Sunny, who completed her undergraduate degree in the Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney.
“I sincerely thank the Charles Perkins Centre, the Biology Domain and the School of Life and Environmental Sciences Molecular Cells and Organisms theme as well as the enduring legacy of Professor Storlien for all the support.”
The winning Abstract
Tropoelastin delays mesenchymal stromal cell senescence and preserves regenerative function
Cellular senescence impedes the therapeutic benefits of cells used in regenerative medicine due to the associated loss in cellular function and alteration in phenotype. Although a decline in matrix integrity is evident in age-related pathologies such as fibrosis, osteoarthritis, and aortic stiffness, few studies have dissected the effects of extracellular matrix signals on cellular aging. Elastin loss and dysregulation are present in deteriorating mesodermal tissue of the skin and vasculature during aging. Conversely, supplementation of the elastin monomer, tropoelastin, promotes mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) regenerative functions, such as proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Given its association with youth and MSC functionality, we posit that tropoelastin modulates MSC senescence. We serially cultured MSCs with or without tropoelastin, either as a substrate or soluble media supplement, and investigated the functional and molecular changes of MSCs at various replicative ages. Results showed that cells expanded with tropoelastin, in either substrate or soluble protein form, retain greater youth-associated functions of colony formation and paracrine secretion, and maintain youthful phenotypes marked by low senescence-associated beta-galactosidase activity, small cell size, and decreased expression of aging markers, compared to age-matched controls. Tropoelastin likely reduces MSC senescence by downregulating oncogenes p16 and p21, and upregulating cell-cycle mediator phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein. Our results indicate that despite exerting strong mitogenic effects, tropoelastin protects against MSC senescence during replicative aging, and that the effects may be independent of its role as a substrate. This work sheds new light on the role structural matrix proteins play in driving cellular fitness and age-associated functions, and points to the translational potential of using tropoelastin to preserve MSC therapeutic benefits during cell manufacturing.
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