Paola Scaffidi

Paola Scaffidi obtained her PhD from the Open University of London, working at San Raffaele Institute in Milan, Italy. Her PhD work in Marco Bianchi’s group led to the identification of the chromatin protein HMGB1 as a major danger signal released by damaged cells, which triggers inflammatory responses. She then moved to the US National Cancer Institute to work in Tom Misteli's laboratory. Her postdoctoral studies focused on the premature ageing disease Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome and aimed at elucidating how nuclear architecture affects genome function and how it contributes to the ageing process. As a staff scientist, she initiated a new area of investigation focused on understanding how cellular reprogramming affects the initiation and maintenance of solid tumours. In 2014, she established her own lab at the CRUK London Research Institute, which then became part of the Francis Crick Institute.  The Cancer Epigenetics lab investigates epigenetic mechanisms important for cancer development, with a particular focus on chromatin-based processes.

Selected publications

Morales Torres C, … and Scaffidi P. The linker histone H1.0 generates epigenetic and functional intratumor heterogeneity.  Science, 2016, 353, Sept 30, 514-1526

Chakrabarti AM, … and Scaffidi P. Target-Specific Precision of CRISPR-Mediated Genome Editing. Molecular Cell, 2019 Feb 21;73(4):699-713.e6. Epub 2018 Dec 13

Scaffidi P, Misteli T. In vitro generation of human cells with cancer stem cell properties. Nature Cell Biology,  2011 Aug 21;13(9):1051-61

Scaffidi P, Misteli T. Lamin A-dependent misregulation of adult stem cells associated with accelerated ageing. Nature Cell Biology,  2008 Apr;10(4):452-9

Scaffidi P, Misteli T. Lamin A-Dependent Nuclear Defects in Human Aging. Science, 2006 Apr 27

Scaffidi P, Misteli T. Reversal of the cellular phenotype in the premature aging disease Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. Nature Medicine, 2005 Apr;11(4):440-5.

Scaffidi P, Misteli T, Bianchi ME. Release of chromatin protein HMGB1 by necrotic cells triggers inflammation. Nature, 2002 Jul 11;418(6894):191-5.