Dr. Judith Campisi was a pioneering cell biologist and internationally recognized authority on cellular senescence and its role in aging and cancer. She served as a professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging from 2002 until her death in 2024, where she established one of the world's leading research programs in biogerontology. Born on March 12, 1948, she earned her bachelor's degree and PhD in biochemistry from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, completing her postdoctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Prior to joining the Buck Institute, she held faculty positions at Boston University Medical School and served as a senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she became head of the department of cell and molecular biology.
Dr. Campisi's groundbreaking research transformed our understanding of cellular senescence as a fundamental biological process with profound implications for aging and disease. Her laboratory discovered the first biomarker for altered gene expression in senescent cells, demonstrating for the first time that these cells accumulate as human tissues age. In 1996, she proposed the revolutionary concept that senescent cells might drive cancer development in later life, challenging prevailing assumptions about the relationship between aging and cancer. Most significantly, her research group was the first to describe the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), revealing how senescent cells secrete inflammatory cytokines and other factors that influence surrounding tissue. Her definitive work established that the accumulation of senescent cells promotes the proliferation of premalignant and malignant cells, fundamentally linking cellular aging mechanisms to cancer development.
As a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dr. Campisi shaped the field of aging research through her scientific leadership and collaborative spirit. She co-founded Unity Biotechnology, translating her basic research into potential therapeutic applications for age-related pathologies, and served as co-editor-in-chief of the Aging Journal. Dr. Campisi received numerous prestigious honors including the Longevity Prize from the IPSEN Foundation and the Olav Thon Foundation Prize, recognizing her transformative contributions to understanding the biology of aging. Her mentorship inspired generations of scientists, and her fearless pursuit of scientific truth established cellular senescence as a central pillar in geroscience. Dr. Campisi's legacy continues to guide research efforts worldwide as scientists build upon her foundational discoveries to develop interventions for age-related diseases.
