Cancer is caused by aberrant gene expression: genes that are used during normal development are turned on inappropriately in an adult cell. These genes reside in the DNA of all cells and their expression begins by transcription, the process by which DNA is made into RNA. As incorrect regulation of transcription is a ubiquitous cause of all cancers, it is essential to completely understand this fundamental process.

Dr. Churchman has developed a high-precision method to study the action of RNA polymerase in cells that revolutionizes the ability to study the process of transcription. Using this methodology, she will investigate two broad areas: transcription of the mitochondrial genome and the regulation processes that occur co-transcriptionally.

 

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Project Title: "Visualizing global transcription in vivo at nucleotide resolution"

Institution: Harvard Medical School

Sponsor(s) / Mentor(s): n/a

Cancer Type: All cancers

Research Area: Genomics