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The Laboratory for Tissue Damage Responses in Regeneration and Aging (TiDRRA) at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology in Vienna, led by Dr. Mikolaj Ogrodnik, investigates how tissue injury triggers coordinated repair programs across time and space, and how these responses intersect with aging. The lab studies the early and late phases of senescence in wound healing, including how injury-induced cellular states shape regeneration, inflammation, and scar formation. A central theme of the group’s work is the close connection between wound healing and aging, with senescent cells, ribosomal signaling, and metabolic changes influencing whether tissues regenerate efficiently or progress toward chronic dysfunction. The lab places particular emphasis on the spatiotemporal control of repair, including the identification of injury-associated signaling zones and the distinct roles of early- and late-onset senescence in tissue recovery.

In addition, TiDRRA explores the molecular and metabolic regulation of senescent cells, the transition from acute injury to persistent tissue remodeling, and the mechanisms that determine whether damaged tissue heals through restoration or fibrosis. The group also studies skin aging, inflammation, and the biology of scar formation, with a particular focus on how these processes change in older organisms and within senescent microenvironments. To address these questions, the lab combines high-resolution histology, in vitro and ex vivo culture systems, transgenic and wild-type preclinical wound and aging models, tissue engineering, and bioinformatics approaches such as single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. The laboratory is also developing engineered and vascularized skin models to improve translational relevance and reduce reliance on animal experiments.

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