Paolo Cifani
Research Associate Professor/Director, Mass Spectrometry Shared Resource
Cancer Center Member
Ph.D., Lund University, 2013
cifani@cshl.edu | 516-367-6806
We develop innovative mass spectrometry-based approaches to measure how protein activities are regulated under physiologic conditions and in pathological states.
The vast majority of cellular biochemical processes are mediated by the coordinated activities of proteins. Protein activities are in turn controlled by their concentration and localization, by chemical modification of specific amino acids, by interaction with other biomolecules, and by several other mechanisms. Different cellular functional states, including those observed in cancer and other diseases, are almost invariably defined by specific patterns of protein regulation. The Cifani lab develops innovative approaches to study protein regulation using high-resolution mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography. Using these methods, we aim to reveal differences in concentration, structure, and chemical modification of cellular proteins from minimal sample amounts, such as those obtained from clinical specimens.
All Publications
Customized Nanofibers with Lung-Targeting and -Retention Properties for Treating Isolated Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Pulmonary Metastases
12 Aug 2025 | ACS Nano
Bellat, Vanessa; Glaser, Adam; Gong, Henry; Gill, Aman; Lee, Young; Cifani, Paolo; Stokol, Tracy; Vahdat, Linda; Law, Benedict;
Signal peptide-independent secretion of keratin-19 by pancreatic cancer cells
1 Jul 2025 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | 122(27):e2426218122
Moresco, Philip; Kastan, Jonathan; Yang, Jung-In; Prabakar, Rishvanth; Kelley, Z; Minicozzi, Francesca; Adams, Dexter; Cifani, Paolo; Tuveson, David; Fearon, Douglas;
Aerobic glycolysis and lactate regulate histone H3K18Lactylation occupancy to fine-tune gene expression in developing and mature retina
20 Apr 2025 | bioRxiv
Gaur, Mohita; Liang, Xulong; Brooks, Matthew; Jiang, Ke; Kumari, Anjani; English, Milton; Cifani, Paolo; Panepinto, Maria; Nellissery, Jacob; Fariss, Robert; Campello, Laura; Marchal, Claire; Swaroop, Anand;
ER-tethering directs TREX1 penetration of a BAF-dependent barrier at micronuclei
15 Apr 2025 | bioRxiv
Chen, Yanyang; Toufektchan, Eleonore; Luan, Xiaohan; Hickling, James; Norman, Roshan; Cifani, Paolo; Kentsis, Alex; Zhou, Wen; Maciejowski, John;
The molecular basis of Human FN3K mediated phosphorylation of glycated substrates
22 Jan 2025 | Nature Communications | 16(1):941
Garg, Ankur; On, Kin; Xiao, Yang; Elkayam, Elad; Cifani, Paolo; David, Yael; Joshua-Tor, Leemor;
Signal peptide-independent secretion of keratin-19 by pancreatic cancer cells
20 Jan 2025 | bioRxiv
Moresco, Philip; Kastan, Jonathan; Yang, Jung-In; Prabakar, Rishvanth; Minicozzi, Francesca; Adams, Dexter; Cifani, Paolo; Tuveson, David; Fearon, Douglas;
Dietary pro-oxidant therapy by a vitamin K precursor targets PI 3-kinase VPS34 function
25 Oct 2024 | Science | 386(6720):eadk9167
Swamynathan, Manojit; Kuang, Shan; Watrud, Kaitlin; Doherty, Mary; Gineste, Charlotte; Mathew, Grinu; Gong, Grace; Cox, Hilary; Cheng, Eileen; Reiss, David; Kendall, Jude; Ghosh, Diya; Reczek, Colleen; Zhao, Xiang; Herzka, Tali; Špokaitė, Saulė; Dessus, Antoine; Kim, Seung; Klingbeil, Olaf; Liu, Juan; Nowak, Dawid; Alsudani, Habeeb; Wee, Tse-Luen; Park, Youngkyu; Minicozzi, Francesca; Rivera, Keith; Almeida, Ana; Chang, Kenneth; Chakrabarty, Ram; Wilkinson, John; Gimotty, Phyllis; Diermeier, Sarah; Egeblad, Mikala; Vakoc, Christopher; Locasale, Jason; Chandel, Navdeep; Janowitz, Tobias; Hicks, James; Wigler, Michael; Pappin, Darryl; Williams, Roger; Cifani, Paolo; Tuveson, David; Laporte, Jocelyn; Trotman, Lloyd;
Aldehydes alter TGF-β signaling and induce obesity and cancer
31 Aug 2024 | Cell Reports | 43(9):114676
Yang, Xiaochun; Bhowmick, Krishanu; Rao, Shuyun; Xiang, Xiyan; Ohshiro, Kazufumi; Amdur, Richard; Hassan, Md; Mohammad, Taj; Crandall, Keith; Cifani, Paolo; Shetty, Kirti; Lyons, Scott; Merrill, Joseph; Vegesna, Anil; John, Sahara; Latham, Patricia; Crawford, James; Mishra, Bibhuti; Dasarathy, Srinivasan; Wang, Xin; Yu, Herbert; Wang, Zhanwei; Huang, Hai; Krainer, Adrian; Mishra, Lopa;
The molecular basis of Human FN3K mediated phosphorylation of glycated substrate
5 Aug 2024 | bioRxiv
Garg, Ankur; On, Kin; Xiao, Yang; Elkayam, Elad; Cifani, Paolo; David, Yael; Joshua-Tor, Leemor;
MARK2/MARK3 kinases are catalytic co-dependencies of YAP/TAZ in human cancer
26 Jul 2024 | Cancer Discovery
Klingbeil, Olaf; Skopelitis, Damianos; Tonelli, Claudia; Yoshimoto, Toyoki; Alpsoy, Aktan; Panepinto, Maria; Minicozzi, Francesca; Merrill, Joseph; Cafiero, Amanda; Aggarwal, Disha; Russo, Suzanne; Ha, Taehoon; Demerdash, Osama; Wee, Tse-Luen; Spector, David; Lyons, Scott; Tuveson, David; Cifani, Paolo; Vakoc, Christopher;