Fabrizio d'Adda di Fagagna

Fabrizio d'Adda di Fagagna established that persistent DNA damage response (DDR) signaling at telomeres and other genomic loci is the central mechanism maintaining cellular senescence and driving SASP production through NF-kB activation. His laboratory showed that DDR foci in senescent cells activate the ATM-NF-kB axis, directly linking genomic damage to the inflammatory secretome. He developed critical senescence biomarkers including persistent 53BP1 and gamma-H2AX foci that are now widely used in cancer research. His work defined the molecular connection between DNA damage, senescence induction, and the protumorigenic inflammatory response.