Laura Pasqualucci, MD

  • Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology (in the Institute for Cancer Genetics) at CUMC
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Overview

Dr. Laura Pasqualucci is a Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology in the Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She earned her M.D. Summa Cum Laude from the University of Perugia School of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in Hematology. Dr. Pasqualucci is a member of the Interurban Clinical Club, the American Association for Cancer Research, and the American Society of Hematology.

Dr. Pasqualucci’s research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of B cell malignancies, particularly diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL). Her laboratory employs multi-omics approaches, biochemical assays, and genetically engineered mouse models to uncover genetic alterations driving these cancers. A major focus of her work includes studying the tumor-suppressive roles of histone/chromatin modifiers like KMT2D and CREBBP, which her research has identified as recurrent mutational targets in FL/DLBCL. Additionally, she investigates the impact of non-coding mutations in super-enhancer regions on lymphoma pathogenesis. Dr. Pasqualucci’s research is aimed at developing novel biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for B-cell lymphomas.

Email: lp171@cumc.columbia.edu

Academic Appointments

  • Professor of Pathology & Cell Biology (in the Institute for Cancer Genetics) at CUMC

Credentials & Experience

Committees, Societies, Councils

  • American Society of Hematology: Committee on Scientific Affairs
  • Lymphoma Research Foundation: Scientific Advisory Board
  • Lymphoma Research Foundation: Grant Oversight Committee
  • American Society of Hematology: Member
  • American Association of Cancer Research: Member

Research

Laura Pasqualucci’s research interests focus on the molecular pathogenesis of B cell malignancies, with emphasis on its most common types, diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL). The laboratory takes advantage of integrated multi-omics approaches, biochemical assays, and genetically-engineered mouse models to identify and functionally characterize the genetic alterations associated with these cancers, and to understand the role of the affected genes in the physiologic germinal center (GC) reaction, a specialized microenvironment from which most B cell lymphomas arise. A major area of investigation focuses on the methyltransferase KMT2D and the acetyltransferase CREBBP, two histone/chromatin modifiers that we discovered as highly recurrent mutational targets and early events in the evolutionary history of FL/DLBCL. These genes have emerged as central players in many different cancers, and we have documented they act as tumor suppressors genes, the loss of which contributes to lymphomagenesis by remodeling the epigenome of the GC. This information is currently being exploited for the development of novel biomarkers and rational treatment options in these diseases.

Selected Publications

  1. Super-enhancer hypermutation alters oncogene expression in B cell lymphoma
    Bal E, Kumar R, Hadigol M, Holmes AB, Hilton LK, Loh JW, Dreval K, Wong JCH, Vlasevska S, Corinaldesi C, Soni RK, Basso K, Morin RD, Khiabanian H, Pasqualucci L, Dalla-Favera R.
    Nature 2022 PMID: 35794478, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04906-8.
  2. Genetic mechanisms of HLA-I loss and immune escape in diffuse large B cell lymphoma
    Fangazio M, Ladewig E, Gomez K, Garcia-Ibanez L, Kumar R, Teruya-Feldstein J, Rossi D, Filip I, Pan-Hammarström Q, Inghirami G, Boldorini R, Ott G, Staiger AM, Chapuy B, Gaidano G, Bhagat G, Basso K, Rabadan R, Pasqualucci L, Dalla-Favera R.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 PMID: 34050029, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2104504118
  3. Genomic characterization of HIV-associated plasmablastic lymphoma identifies pervasive mutations in the JAK-STAT pathway
    Liu Z, Filip I, Gomez K, Engelbrecht D, Meer S, Lalloo PN, Patel P, Perner Y, Zhao J, Wang J, Pasqualucci L, Rabadan R, Willem P
    Blood Cancer Discov. 2020. PMID: 33225311, DOI: 10.1158/2643-3249.bcd-20-0051
  4. Unique and Shared Epigenetic Programs of the CREBBP and EP300 Acetyltransferases in Germinal Center B Cells Reveal Targetable Dependencies in Lymphoma
    Meyer SN, Scuoppo C, Vlasevska S, Bal E, Holmes AB, Holloman M, Garcia-Ibanez L, Nataraj S, Duval R, Vantrimpont T, Basso K, Brooks N, Dalla-Favera R, Pasqualucci L
    Immunity. 2019. PMID: 31519498, DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.08.006
  5. Molecular pathogenesis of germinal center-derived B cell lymphomas
    Pasqualucci L
    Immunol Rev. 2019. PMID: 30874347, DOI: 10.1111/imr.12745
  6. The CREBBP Acetyltransferase Is a Haploinsufficient Tumor Suppressor in B-cell Lymphoma
    Zhang J, Vlasevska S, Wells VA, Nataraj S, Holmes AB, Duval R, Meyer SN, Mo T, Basso K, Brindle PK, Hussein S, Dalla-Favera R, Pasqualucci L
    Cancer Discov. 2017. PMID: 28069569, DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-16-1417
  7. Disruption of KMT2D perturbs germinal center B cell development and promotes lymphomagenesis
    Zhang J, Dominguez-Sola D, Hussein S, Lee JE, Holmes AB, Bansal M, Vlasevska S, Mo T, Tang H, Basso K, Ge K, Dalla-Favera R, Pasqualucci L
    Nat Med. 2015. PMID: 26366712, DOI: 10.1038/nm.3940
  8. Genetics of follicular lymphoma transformation
    Pasqualucci L, Khiabanian H, Fangazio M, Vasishtha M, Messina M, Holmes AB, Ouillette P, Trifonov V, Rossi D, Tabbò F, Ponzoni M, Chadburn A, Murty VV, Bhagat G, Gaidano G, Inghirami G, Malek SN, Rabadan R, Dalla-Favera R
    Cell Rep. 2014. PMID: 24388756, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2013.12.027
  9. Combined genetic inactivation of β2-Microglobulin and CD58 reveals frequent escape from immune recognition in diffuse large B cell lymphoma
    Challa-Malladi M, Lieu YK, Califano O, Holmes AB, Bhagat G, Murty VV, Dominguez-Sola D, Pasqualucci L, Dalla-Favera R
    Cancer Cell. 2011. PMID: 22137796, DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2011.11.006
  10. Analysis of the coding genome of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
    Pasqualucci L, Trifonov V, Fabbri G, Ma J, Rossi D, Chiarenza A, Wells VA, Grunn A, Messina M, Elliot O, Chan J, Bhagat G, Chadburn A, Gaidano G, Mullighan CG, Rabadan R, Dalla-Favera R
    Nat Genet. 2011. PMID: 21804550, DOI: 10.1038/ng.892
  11. Analysis of the chronic lymphocytic leukemia coding genome: role of NOTCH1 mutational activation
    Fabbri G, Rasi S, Rossi D, Trifonov V, Khiabanian H, Ma J, Grunn A, Fangazio M, Capello D, Monti S, Cresta S, Gargiulo E, Forconi F, Guarini A, Arcaini L, Paulli M, Laurenti L, Larocca LM, Marasca R, Gattei V, Oscier D, Bertoni F, Mullighan CG, Foá R, Pasqualucci L, Rabadan R, Dalla-Favera R, Gaidano G
    J Exp Med. 2011. PMID: 21670202, DOI: 10.1084/jem.20110921
  12. Inactivating mutations of acetyltransferase genes in B-cell lymphoma
    Pasqualucci L, Dominguez-Sola D, Chiarenza A, Fabbri G, Grunn A, Trifonov V, Kasper LH, Lerach S, Tang H, Ma J, Rossi D, Chadburn A, Murty VV, Mullighan CG, Gaidano G, Rabadan R, Brindle PK, Dalla-Favera R
    Nature. 2011. PMID: 21390126, DOI: 10.1038/nature09730
  13. BLIMP1 is a tumor suppressor gene frequently disrupted in activated B cell-like diffuse large B cell lymphoma
    Mandelbaum J, Bhagat G, Tang H, Mo T, Brahmachary M, Shen Q, Chadburn A, Rajewsky K, Tarakhovsky A, Pasqualucci L, Dalla-Favera R
    Cancer Cell. 2010. PMID: 21156281, DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2010.10.030
  14. Mutations of multiple genes cause deregulation of NF-kappaB in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
    Compagno M, Lim WK, Grunn A, Nandula SV, Brahmachary M, Shen Q, Bertoni F, Ponzoni M, Scandurra M, Califano A, Bhagat G, Chadburn A, Dalla-Favera R, Pasqualucci L
    Nature. 2009. PMID: 19412164, DOI: 10.1038/nature07968
  15. AID is required for germinal center-derived lymphomagenesis
    Pasqualucci L, Bhagat G, Jankovic M, Compagno M, Smith P, Muramatsu M, Honjo T, Morse HC, Nussenzweig MC, Dalla-Favera R
    Nat Genet. 2008. PMID: 18066064, DOI: 10.1038/ng.2007.35
  16. Deregulated BCL6 expression recapitulates the pathogenesis of human diffuse large B cell lymphomas in mice
    Cattoretti G, Pasqualucci L, Ballon G, Tam W, Nandula SV, Shen Q, Mo T, Murty VV, Dalla-Favera R
    Cancer Cell. 2005. PMID: 15894265, DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2005.03.037
  17. Hypermutation of multiple proto-oncogenes in B-cell diffuse large-cell lymphomas
    Pasqualucci L, Neumeister P, Goossens T, Nanjangud G, Chaganti RS, Küppers R, Dalla-Favera R
    Nature. 2001. PMID: 11460166, DOI: 10.1038/35085588

For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov