Human Genetics and Genetic Diseases

Cancer and Genome Integrity

The research program in the Genome Integrity is focused on the exploration of the causes and effects of genomic instability, mechanisms of DNA repair and the study of DNA repair breakdown as an initiating or protective event in aging and cancers. The program will emphasize a mechanistic understanding of the pathways that maintain genomic integrity, the intersection of these pathways with normal cellular physiology and cancer and the application of these insights to the development of new therapeutic strategies. The Genome integrity has made major contributions towards a detailed understanding of DNA repair pathway selection as a primary influence on genomic stability and drug resistance/sensitivity in breast and ovarian cancers and the influential role of DNA repair proteins in the promotion of specific hematological malignancies