How cells repair broken DNA to improve cancer treatments
Official title: Project 2: DSBR: Mechanisms of DNA double strand break repair and pathway selection
Funded at University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab · NIH-11178313 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how cells fix dangerous breaks in their DNA so people with BRCA1-related cancers might get better results from radiation and chemotherapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, United States) |
| Project start | September 27, 2001 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $470,868 |
| NIH project number | 5P01CA092584-25 |
| Project ID | NIH-11178313 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with BRCA1 mutations or BRCA1-related breast or ovarian cancers, especially those undergoing radiation or DNA-damaging chemotherapy, would be most relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without cancer or whose tumors do not involve DNA-repair defects are unlikely to gain direct clinical benefit from this basic laboratory research.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are mapping how different DNA repair systems (quick-and-dirty versus accurate repair) decide which path to use after a double-strand break. They focus on proteins tied to BRCA1 and related factors, and will dissect how enzymes like ligase IV, Artemis, PNKP, and the MRN complex interact to join or process DNA ends. The team uses biochemical experiments and cellular models to watch these protein complexes form and act on broken DNA. Findings aim to explain why some cancer cells resist therapy and point toward ways to make treatments work better.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to treatments that make radiation and many chemotherapies more effective for patients with BRCA1-related and other DNA-repair–deficient cancers.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have identified many individual repair proteins and links to BRCA1, but combining biochemical and cellular approaches to define pathway-choice mechanisms is still an area with important open questions.
Where this research is happening
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University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab
Berkeley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tomkinson, Alan E — University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab
- Study coordinator: Tomkinson, Alan E
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.