Thomas Caspari

Why do we get cancer?

My research group tries to find an answer to this question by studying how our genetic information changes over time. Many of the key events which alter our DNA occur when cells copy their chromosomes. During this process the DNA must be opened up making it vulnerable to breakage and chemical modifications.

We use the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) and human cells to research diverse pathways ranging from cell cycle regulators to DNA damage checkpoints to the circadian clock, all working together to prevent these genetic aberrations.