Grant: Operating Grant

Our genetic material (DNA) is constantly exposed to toxic metabolites and deleterious environmental agents. Thousands of DNA lesions can occur per day in one single cell. To avoid cancers, the damaged DNA has to be repaired. Human cells possess a very sophisticated system called the DNA damage response system (DDR) that allows them to sense and repair the damage. Humans with defective DDR often develop cancers. My laboratory has discovered a unique protein to impact the DDR of cancer cells and consequently, to affect their proliferation and survival behaviors. We propose to further study this protein known to be upregulated in cancers in order to establish it as a marker and target for cancer research.