Dafna Bar-Sagi

Dafna Bar-Sagi, PhD, serves as Executive Vice President and Vice Dean for Science, Chief Scientific Officer at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She holds the Saul J. Farber Professorship in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and is a Professor in the Department of Medicine, directing institutional research strategy while maintaining active laboratory leadership.

Her academic foundation includes:

• PhD from Stony Brook University

Dr. Bar-Sagi's research centers on Ras-driven oncogenesis in pancreatic cancer (affecting >30% of human cancers), with emphasis on signal transduction pathways, inflammation-tumor interactions, and therapeutic targeting. Her laboratory pioneers cell/animal models to dissect feedback mechanisms in Ras signaling, macropinocytosis dynamics, and immune microenvironment alterations. This work bridges molecular discoveries to novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for aggressive malignancies.

Analysis of her 2022-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in pancreatic cancer progression (6/8 papers), with emerging focus on immunometabolism (CD73/adenosine signaling), epigenetic drivers (NRF2-EZH2 loops), and translational interventions (surgical impacts, combination therapies). Cross-cutting methodologies include chemical biology, murine modeling, and systems-level analysis of tumor heterogeneity.

Her distinguished academic service includes the Saul J. Farber Professorship, reflecting sustained institutional leadership in scientific advancement.

Dr. Bar-Sagi mentors next-generation scientists through her active research program, which has generated over 200 publications. Her laboratory receives substantial grant support enabling development of innovative models for Ras-driven tumorigenesis, with recent funding focusing on inflammation-cancer crosstalk and therapeutic targeting strategies.

The Bar-Sagi laboratory operates within NYU Langone's cancer research ecosystem, utilizing advanced platforms for molecular imaging, animal modeling, and chemical screening to investigate oncogenic signaling networks and their translational implications.