Laura Attardi

Laura Attardi is the Catharine and Howard Avery Professor of the school of medicine, and professor of radiation oncology and genetics at Stanford University where she leads the Attardi Laboratory. Attardi studies the tumor suppressor protein p53 and the gene that encodes it, TP53, to better understand mechanisms for preventing cancer.

Early life and education Laura Donatella Attardi is the daughter of biologists Giuseppe Attardi and Barbara Furman.

Laura Attardi received her BA in biochemistry from Cornell University in 1988. She earned her PhD in molecular and cell biology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1994, working with Robert Tjian. with Tyler Jacks.

Career In 2000, Attardi joined Stanford University School of Medicine in the departments of radiation oncology and genetics. Attardi is the Catharine and Howard Avery Professor of the school of medicine, and professor of radiation oncology and genetics at Stanford University

Attardi is co-editor of the Annual Review of Cancer Biology and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Cell Biology. The cellular mechanisms and transcriptional programs involved in p53 activation are complicated. There is evidence that p53 can suppress tumors, but it can also cause toxicity in normal tissues. Understanding the activity of p53 and how to restore p53 function may lead to advances in anti-cancer therapeutics. Attardi's goal is to understand the mechanisms of p53 and its actions and effects in different settings.

Awards and honors 2026 Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, Section 41, Hematology, Oncology, and Medical Genetics 2024 Fellow, American Association of Cancer Research 2015 Outstanding investigator award, National Cancer Institute 2008–2013 Research Scholar, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 2006–2009 Research Scholar, American Cancer Society