Damon Runyon Researchers

Dr. Lapointe studies how the synthesis of proteins (translation) is controlled, as dysregulated translation is a ubiquitous feature of cancer. He is focused on a key question: how regulation that originates at the “tail” end of a messenger RNA (mRNA) impacts the start of translation, which occurs near the beginning of the mRNA. His goal is to reveal and analyze pathways that underlie this fundamental mechanism to control gene expression. Using an integrated approach of single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, structural, and biochemical strategies, this research will yield important insights into how translation is precisely regulated and how it is disrupted in a wide array of cancers.