Judith Campisi

Judith Campisi is a world-leading authority on cellular senescence and its dual role in cancer, having discovered the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that links senescent cells to tumor promotion and chronic inflammation. Her laboratory defined the molecular composition of SASP factors including IL-6, IL-8, and matrix metalloproteinases that create a protumorigenic microenvironment. She established that therapy-induced senescence in cancer cells paradoxically promotes tumor recurrence through SASP-mediated paracrine signaling. Her work laid the foundation for senolytic drug development as a cancer therapeutic strategy.