Research

DNA Replication Licensing & Fork Protection in Genome Integrity

My PhD research focuses on understanding how DNA replication licensing and replication fork protection mechanisms cooperate to safeguard genome integrity. DNA replication must be tightly controlled to ensure that the genome is duplicated exactly once per cell cycle. When this regulation fails, cells can undergo re-replication — the re-copying of already-replicated DNA — which leads to DNA damage and genome instability, a hallmark of cancer.

I am investigating the interplay between licensing factors (such as Geminin and CDT1) and fork protection proteins (such as FANCD2) to elucidate how cells detect and respond to replication stress caused by aberrant licensing. This work combines cell biology, molecular genetics, and genomic approaches to uncover vulnerabilities that could be exploited for cancer therapy.

Pharmacological Targeting of Cells with Aberrant DNA Replication Licensing

During my Master's thesis, I investigated the pharmacological targeting of cells with aberrant DNA replication licensing, with the aim of identifying novel synthetic lethal interactions. This work explored how small-molecule inhibitors can selectively eliminate cancer cells that have lost control over their replication licensing machinery, while sparing normal cells.

Construction of a Stably Transfected HeLa Cell Line for Geminin-mCherry₂ Expression

My undergraduate thesis focused on generating a stable HeLa cell line expressing the Geminin protein fused with the fluorescent reporter mCherry₂. This tool enables live-cell imaging of Geminin dynamics across the cell cycle and serves as a valuable resource for studying DNA replication licensing regulation.