Faculty profile

Liliana Attisano

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ProfessorDepartment of BiochemistryUniversity of Toronto

Liliana Attisano

Professor

Department of Biochemistry

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

University of Toronto

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

ORCID

Supervision signals

Professors usually supervise graduate students in their department's programs.
19 publications in the last five years, latest in 2026.
Senior (last) author on 5 recent papers, a sign of leading a research group.
Principal investigator on 9 research grants (8 CIHR, 1 NSERC), most recently in 2024.
Supervised 2 trainees who won CIHR awards, most recently in 2019.

These signals come from public records, including CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

Citations

h-index

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the works listed on the university profile; citation counts come from Dimensions.

Education

B.Sc.
PhD

Profiles and links

University Profile Personal Website Search on Google Scholar iDORCID

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Signals and details

Research

Read how they describe their research on their University of Toronto profile.

Protein-Protein Interactions Hippo Pathway Wnt Signalling Signal Transduction Cell Biology Colorectal Cancer Breast Cancer Cancer

Latest papers

NUAK Kinases in the Hippo Pathway.
Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology · 2026 · senior author
Discovery and development of potent and selective dual NUAK/MARK inhibitors as Hippo pathway modulators for the treatment of cancer.
European journal of medicinal chemistry · 2026
Brain organoids in Alzheimer disease and related tauopathies: Challenges and opportunities for translational readiness.
Stem cell reports · 2026

All 54 publications

Latest funding

Elucidating the synaptic function of C9orf72
CIHR · 2025 · Co-investigator
$1,327,276
Exploring the role of ALK and LTK in axon remodelling.
CIHR · 2024 · Nominated PI
$1,090,125
A vascularized human organoid platform for disease modelling and preclinical testing
NSERC · 2020 · Principal investigator
$1,305,150

All 15 grants and awards

54 publications.

NUAK Kinases in the Hippo Pathway.

Song Y, Attisano L

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041900 PMID: 42674837

Discovery and development of potent and selective dual NUAK/MARK inhibitors as Hippo pathway modulators for the treatment of cancer.

Smil D, Liu Y, Xin T, Kiyota T, Aman A, Grouleff J, Hoffer L, Joshi DC, Inanlou MR, Song S, Mao DYL, Ogunjimi AA, Pau V, Chini FD, Kurinov I, Zhang Y, Nguyen AT, Wrana JL, Sicheri F, Attisano L, Uehling D, Al-Awar R, Isaac MB

European journal of medicinal chemistry2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2026.118798 PMID: 41936796

Brain organoids in Alzheimer disease and related tauopathies: Challenges and opportunities for translational readiness.

Guruacharya A, Hartung T, Souza Dos Reis R, Moreira NCDS, Attisano L, Bolognin S, Iqbal K, Rajbanshi B

Stem cell reports2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2026.103051 PMID: 42624102

iPSC-derived cerebral organoids reveal mitochondrial, inflammatory and neuronal vulnerabilities in bipolar disorder.

El Soufi El Sabbagh D, Kolinski Machado A, Pappis L, Leigh Beroncal E, Ji D, Nader G, Ravi Chander P, Choi J, Duong A, Jeong H, Panizzutti B, Bortolasci CC, Szatmari A, Carlen P, Hahn M, Attisano L, Berk M, Walder K, Andreazza AC

Translational psychiatry2025

DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03529-7 PMID: 40854880

Integrative High-Throughput RNAi Screening Identifies BRSK1, STK32C and STK40 as Novel Activators of YAP/TAZ.

Gill MK, Song S, Christova T, Attisano L

International journal of molecular sciences2025Senior author

DOI: 10.3390/ijms26167810 PMID: 40869130

Small Extracellular Vesicles Promote Axon Outgrowth by Engaging the Wnt-Planar Cell Polarity Pathway.

Ahmad S, Christova T, Pye M, Narimatsu M, Song S, Wrana JL, Attisano L

Cells2025Senior author

DOI: 10.3390/cells14010056 PMID: 39791757

Exploiting the Achilles' Heel of Viral RNA Processing to Develop Novel Antivirals.

Zahedi Amiri A, Ahmed C, Dahal S, Grosso F, Leng H, Stoilov P, Mangos M, Toutant J, Shkreta L, Attisano L, Chabot B, Brown M, Huesca M, Cochrane A

Viruses2024

DOI: 10.3390/v17010054 PMID: 39861843

Targeting protein homeostasis with small molecules as a strategy for the development of pan-coronavirus antiviral therapies.

Mao YQ, Jahanshahi S, Malty R, Van Ommen DAJ, Wan Y, Morey TM, Chuang SHW, Pavlova V, Ahmed C, Dahal S, Lin F, Mangos M, Nurtanto J, Song Y, Been T, Christie-Holmes N, Gray-Owen SD, Babu M, Wong AP, Batey RA, Attisano L, Cochrane A, Houry WA

Communications biology2024

DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-07143-z PMID: 39511285

Wnt5a Promotes Axon Elongation in Coordination with the Wnt-Planar Cell Polarity Pathway.

Ahmad S, Attisano L

Cells2024Senior author

DOI: 10.3390/cells13151268 PMID: 39120298

A Dynamic Protocol to Explore NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Cerebral Organoids.

El Soufi El Sabbagh D, Attisano L, Andreazza AC, Machado AK

International journal of molecular sciences2024

DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126335 PMID: 38928041

Elucidating the synaptic function of C9orf72

Co-investigatorCIHR2025Project Grant

Principal investigators: Robertson, Janice

Keywords: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; C9orf72; Cofilin; Frontotemporal Dementia; Glua1; Synaptic

$1,327,276

Exploring the role of ALK and LTK in axon remodelling.

Nominated PICIHR2024Project Grant

Principal investigators: Attisano, Liliana

Keywords: Axon Regeneration; Cns Injuries; Neurons; Signal Transduction

$1,090,125

A vascularized human organoid platform for disease modelling and preclinical testing

Principal investigatorNSERC2020Collaborative Health Research Projects

Principal investigators: Attisano, Liliana

$1,305,150

The Discovery and Optimization of NUAK Inhibitors: A Novel Approach to Target Hippo Pathway Driven Cancers

Co-investigatorCIHR2020Project Grant

Principal investigators: Al-Awar, Rima S

Keywords: Drug Discovery; Hippo Pathway; Kinase Inhibitors

$520,199

A vascularized human organoid platform for disease modelling and preclinical testing

Nominated PICIHR2019Collaborative Health Research Projects (NSERC partnered)

Principal investigators: Attisano, Liliana; Louis, Sharon A; Yip, Christopher M

Keywords: Cerebral Organoids; Drug Development; High-Resolution Imaging; Human Disease Modelling; Human Organoids; Intestinal Organoids; Preclinical Model; Tissue Engineering; Vascularization

Modelling Functional Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury Using Human Organoids

SupervisorCIHR2019Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Principal investigators: Zafar, Nadia A

Keywords: Axon Regeneration; Central Nervous System; Human Organoid Models; Human Pluripotent Stem Cells; Immunohistochemical Analysis; Intraneuronal Signalling Pathways; Mouse Muscle Tissue Explants; Multi-Electrode Arrays; Singe-Cell Rna Sequencing; Spinal Cord Injury

$105,000

The role of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurotransmission: Implications for bipolar disorder

Co-investigatorCIHR2018Project Grant

Principal investigators: Andreazza, Ana C; Beaulieu, Martin

Keywords: Bipolar Disorder; Mitochondrial Function; Neurotransmission

$1,109,250

Defining the role of the kinome in regulating regenerative signalling pathways in colorectal cancer

Nominated PICIHR2016Project Grant

Principal investigators: Attisano, Liliana

Keywords: Cell Biology; Colorectal Cancer; Hippo Pathway; Kinases; Mouse Models; Protein-Protein Interactions; Signal Transduction; Small Molecule Inhibitors

$886,820

Contextual modulation of signalling pathways in human disease.

Nominated PICIHR2015Foundation Grant

Principal investigators: Attisano, Liliana

Keywords: Breast Cancer; Cell Biology; Colorectal Cancer; High Throughput Screening; Hippo Pathway; Pathway Integration; Signalling Pathways; Small Molecular Inhibitors; Tgfbeta Pathway; Wnt Signalling

$3,697,184

Signalling pathway mediated control of cytoskeletal remodelling in neurons

Nominated PICIHR2013Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Attisano, Liliana

Keywords: Brain Tumors; Cancer; Cytoskeletal Remodelling; High-Throughput Screens; Neuronal Differentiation; Protein-Protein Interactions; Tyrosine Kinase Receptors; Wnt Signalling

$812,660

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Profile data last refreshed on September 25, 2026 from the university directory, publication records and CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding.

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Liliana Attisano

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

NUAK Kinases in the Hippo Pathway.

Discovery and development of potent and selective dual NUAK/MARK inhibitors as Hippo pathway modulators for the treatment of cancer.

Brain organoids in Alzheimer disease and related tauopathies: Challenges and opportunities for translational readiness.

iPSC-derived cerebral organoids reveal mitochondrial, inflammatory and neuronal vulnerabilities in bipolar disorder.

Integrative High-Throughput RNAi Screening Identifies BRSK1, STK32C and STK40 as Novel Activators of YAP/TAZ.

Small Extracellular Vesicles Promote Axon Outgrowth by Engaging the Wnt-Planar Cell Polarity Pathway.

Exploiting the Achilles' Heel of Viral RNA Processing to Develop Novel Antivirals.

Targeting protein homeostasis with small molecules as a strategy for the development of pan-coronavirus antiviral therapies.

Wnt5a Promotes Axon Elongation in Coordination with the Wnt-Planar Cell Polarity Pathway.

A Dynamic Protocol to Explore NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Cerebral Organoids.

A vascularized human organoid platform for disease modelling and preclinical testing

Frequent collaborators

Alan Cochrane

Rod Bremner

Mohan Babu

Benoit Chabot

Tony Mazzulli

Ahmed Aman

Helen McNeill

Laurence Pelletier

Frank Sicheri

Margaret Hahn

John Calarco

Carol Schuurmans

Peter Carlen

Alex Gregorieff

Zhengping Jia

Arturo Orellana

Susan Poutanen

Kieran Campbell

Michael Reber

Landon Edgar

Hui Peng

Lily Zhou

David Uehling

Jeffrey Wrana

Deborah Kurrasch

Tak Mak

Gelareh Zadeh

Carol Schuurmans

Quaid Morris

Mathieu Lupien

Jean-Francois Cloutier

Shuzo Sugita

Hong Han

Andrew Emili

Derek van der Kooy

Stephane Angers

Anne-Claude Gingras