HBF Spotlight: Dr. Laura Antonucci
Meet Dr. Antonucci!
Dr. Antonucci is a cancer biologist at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center,
where she works in Dr. Jason Sicklick’s laboratory on translational research aimed at identifying new therapeutic opportunities for patients with cancer. She earned her PhD
in Molecular Medicine from Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, where she studied medulloblastoma and cancer signaling before moving to the United States.
A 2023 Hopper-Belmont Inspiration Award recipient, her research experience spans pancreatic and liver cancers and, more recently, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST)
and endometrial cancer. Her work focuses on developing clinically relevant preclinical models to better understand tumor biology, evaluate therapeutic response, and help bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and patient care.
What first drew you to cancer research, and what has kept you passionate throughout your career?
I’ve been fascinated by biology from a young age and by understanding why cells behave the way they do. Cancer research particularly captured my interest because of its complexity, as there is never just one mechanism or one answer, and every discovery can open the door to new questions.
My motivation was also deeply personal. I lost my father to pancreatic cancer before starting college, and that experience was a main driver in wanting to understand this disease and contribute to finding better treatments.
What has kept me passionate throughout my career is that combination of scientific curiosity and purpose, knowing that behind every experiment and every data point, there are patients and families hoping for better options.
Have you had any key mentors or collaborators who shaped your path?
I’ve had mentors and collaborators who have shaped my path in different ways. Some of my past experiences were in highly competitive research environments. That competition pushed me to grow, become more independent, and challenge myself as a scientist, but it also taught me important lessons about the kind of scientist and mentor I want to be. Both the positive and more difficult experiences have influenced how I approach science today and have helped me recognize the values I want to carry forward in my own career.
Today, I’m fortunate to work at Moores Cancer Center under my PI, Dr. Sicklick, whom I have come to consider an important mentor even in the relatively short time I’ve worked with him. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with supportive colleagues and collaborators in an environment that has reinforced for me how important collaboration is in science. The ambition and drive are still there, but they are connected to a shared purpose: doing meaningful research, advancing our understanding of cancer, and ultimately finding better treatments and cures for patients.
Having experienced different approaches to science and mentorship has given me a much clearer sense of who I want to be as both a scientist and a mentor. I want to be rigorous, ambitious, and independent, but also collaborative, supportive, and willing to share knowledge and opportunities with others. As I move forward, I hope not only to contribute meaningful science, but also to help create the kind of research environment in which people can grow, work together, and feel that their contributions are valued.
Since receiving the HBF Inspiration Award in 2023, your research has continued to evolve. Could you tell us about what you're working on today and what excites you most about it?
Since receiving the HBF Inspiration Award, my research has continued to evolve, and the specific cancer types I study have changed significantly from my previous work in pancreatic and liver cancer. However, the central goal has remained the same: understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive cancer-cell behavior and how we can use that knowledge to identify better therapeutic strategies.
Since October 2025, I’ve been working on several projects, including endometrial cancer and a rare type of gastrointestinal stromal tumor, or GIST. My work ranges from studying the molecular mechanisms that allow cancer cells to grow and spread to testing potential therapeutic approaches in models that closely reflect human tumors. We’re not only asking why cancer cells behave a certain way, but also how we can use that information to find new vulnerabilities and potentially improve treatment.
What excites me most is that my research has become increasingly translational. Being able to work with patient samples and see how they respond to different treatments gives us a perspective on potential therapies that could benefit patients in the future. That connection between discovery in the lab and its possible impact on patients is probably the most exciting part for me.
Looking back on your research career so far, is there a contribution or project that has been especially meaningful to you, and why?
One project that has been especially meaningful to me was my work on pancreatic cancer. For several years, I used three-dimensional tumor models, called organoids, to study how pancreatic cancer develops and progresses and to better understand what makes these tumors so aggressive.
That project accompanied me through a very important period of both my career and my personal life, including a very difficult time when I lost someone extremely important to me. So completing it meant much more than finishing a scientific project; it really felt like closing one chapter and beginning another. It also gave me the opportunity to move forward to where I am today, working in a more translational research environment.
What challenges have you faced in your research career, and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges I faced was working on a research project that was recognized by the 2023 HBF Inspiration Award and took almost 10 years to complete. Particularly, understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms and finding the right model to study them were major challenges, but we ultimately developed and validated an organoid model that allowed us to better understand how cells become malignant.
Another challenge in research is funding and resource availability. Earlier in my career, I experienced more pressure around funding, but working in a larger lab and now in my current role has given me more freedom to focus on the scientific questions. Having less pressure around funding has allowed me to feel more accomplished in my everyday work and focus on doing a better job overall.
How do you hope your research will ultimately improve cancer care or treatment for patients?
From my heart, I would say that I hope one day no one has to go through cancer, and that a cancer diagnosis will no longer bring the fear that it does today. I’ve experienced that fear and pain through people I love, and I’ve also experienced the pain of losing someone to this disease.
So, as a human being, of course I would say that I want us to cure cancer. But as a scientist, I know that progress often happens one step at a time. If our research can give patients better treatments, more time with the people they love, fewer side effects, and a better quality of life during that time, that is already incredibly meaningful to me.
Where do you see yourself in the next five to 10 years?
In the next five to ten years, I see my research becoming increasingly translational and closely connected to patients, which is the direction I’m already pursuing under Dr. Jason Sicklick’s leadership. Specifically, we are developing experimental platforms that more closely reproduce a patient’s tumor and allow us to test multiple drugs or drug combinations, with the goal of better predicting treatment response.
Looking forward, I’m particularly interested in understanding why we see so much variability in response, not only between patients, but even within different areas of the same tumor. If we can identify the biological factors driving those differences, we may be able to better select treatments and move toward more personalized cancer therapy.
That connection between understanding the biology and using it to guide treatment is where I really see my research heading.
What do you see as the biggest opportunities or challenges in your field over the next several years?
I think one of the biggest opportunities is our growing ability to study cancer in models that much more closely represent an individual patient’s tumor. Combined with new technologies such as sequencing, this gives us the possibility to test treatments, understand response, and hopefully make therapy increasingly personalized.
At the same time, one of our biggest challenges is the enormous complexity and variability of cancer. Two patients with what appears to be the same cancer can respond very differently, and even different areas within the same tumor can behave differently.
I think the challenge, and also the exciting opportunity, is to understand what drives that variability and translate that knowledge into better treatment decisions for each patient.
For the general public, what is the most important message you would like people to take away about your cancer research?
I think the most important message is that there is reason for hope. Cancer research takes time, and progress doesn’t always happen as quickly as we would like, especially for patients and families waiting for better treatment options. But progress is happening every day, and every discovery brings us one step closer to potential new treatments.
Something I’m experiencing now at the Moores Cancer Center, working with Dr. Sicklick, is how important the connection between researchers, physicians, patients, and families can be. Patients and their families are directly involved and incredibly supportive of our research, and that makes our work even more meaningful.
I think cancer research is a collective effort that extends beyond funding, in which everyone can play a part by staying informed and being engaged. Ultimately, scientists, physicians, patients, and families all contribute to moving the field forward, and that is what gives me hope.
What advice would you give to students or early-career scientists who hope to make a difference in cancer research?
I would tell them to stay curious, be patient, and remember why they chose research in the first place. A scientific career is rarely a linear path, and there will be failures, difficult moments, and times when you question what comes next.
I also think it’s important not to define success only by publications, grants, awards, or reaching the highest academic title. Those are important, but they are the tools that allow us to do the work; they are not the final goal.
For me, research has a higher purpose. If something we discover can ultimately give someone a better treatment, more time, or a better quality of life, then we have made a difference. I think that is one of the most meaningful ways to define success as a scientist.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time outside the lab?
I actually have way too many interests! I love spending time with my son and the people I care about. I love dancing, playing guitar, being by the ocean and, when I get the chance, surfing. I also teach Italian, which keeps me connected to my language and culture.
But the funny thing is that being in the lab has never felt like just a job to me. Science is also something I genuinely enjoy, so sometimes even in my free time I find myself going back to the lab because I’m curious about an experiment or excited to see a result. I think I’m just a very curious person. I always need something to discover, learn, or experience, whether it’s inside or outside the lab.
All of us at HBF thank Dr. Antonucci for her innovative and breakthrough approaches to solving the toughest cancer challenges. Importantly, her commitment and support of this Foundation’s mission of recognizing and supporting
early-career cancer researchers has been, and continues to be, truly appreciated.