Damon Runyon Researchers

Dr. Stinson studies the mechanism of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), the primary method used by our cells to repair DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), a particularly toxic form of DNA damage in which a single piece of DNA is completely broken into two pieces. He is examining how the NHEJ machinery modifies DNA at DSBs to allow re-joining of the DNA molecule. This work will contribute to our knowledge of cancer development and treatment, as defects in NHEJ result in predisposition to cancer, and a number of common cancer treatments introduce DSBs that are primarily repaired by NHEJ.