My lab is interested in understanding the roles of DNA Damage Repair (DDR) in mature neurons and its links to neurodegenerative disorders (including Alzheimer's and related diseases) and ageing. We are using a variety of tools including CRISPR-Cas9 screens in mature neurons as well as mouse models of disease. While maintenance of genome stability is important for all cells and has been implicated in an array of pathologies, it is critical for the terminally differentiated neuron that has no other way of protecting its genetic material but through repair. As such, the bulk of DDR syndromes present neurological features and loss of DDR pathway regulation is one of the first events in the ageing brain. In my lab we are interested in understanding the mechanisms by which neurons deal with endogenous genotoxic stresses, their contribution to progression of neurodegeneration and ageing, and how to harness this knowledge to inform on key nodes that can be targeted to confer protection.
