Dr. Laura Niedernhofer

Dr. Laura Niedernhofer has a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Duke University and an MD and PhD in Biochemistry from Vanderbilt University. She did post-doctoral training in the Netherlands’ premier lab for studying genome instability disorders. She began her independent research career at the University of Pittsburgh studying cancer and aging, moved to the Scripps Research Institute to learn drug development, and is now at the University of Minnesota where she leads the Masonic Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism. 

Her career has been dedicated to studying DNA repair and diseases associated with DNA repair defects. Her goal is to discover therapeutics that combat the health impact of unrepaired DNA damage, for treating patients with DNA repair disorders. Additionally, these same therapeutics advances may prove valuable in treating aging and chronic diseases of old age. Laura is currently serving on the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Hevolution Foundation, the Board of the Academy for Health and Lifespan Research, the Executive Steering Committee of the SenNet Consortium, and the Board of the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Family SupportGroup.