I am an internationally recognized expert in the genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry of DNA repair. For the past 25 years my laboratory has been consistently funded to study the molecular basis of mutagenesis and dysfunctional DNA repair as they relate to human diseases. The current focus of my research is on cancer and autoimmunity. A mutator phenotype and chromosomal instability lead to cancer. My research team probes the underlying molecular mechanisms of cancer as a result of aberrant DNA repair using biophysics, genetics, and cell biology. We recently discovered that mutations in DNA repair genes lead to the development of the autoimmune disease of lupus and are employing novel mouse models based on human lupus to uncover the molecular basis of this disease.
