On Jul. 25, 2019, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Professor David Cortez, PhD and colleagues revealed a new DNA repair pathway involving a protein called HMCES. The team has discovered how a DNA repair pathway protein shields sites of damage to avoid mutations and maintain genome integrity.

“DNA repair is critical to prevent cancer. The loss of or inefficiencies in DNA repair cause mutations and changes in our chromosomes that lead to cancer development,” said David Cortez, PhD, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and professor of Biochemistry.

Earlier this year, Cortez and his colleagues reported a new DNA repair mechanism, involving a protein called HMCES. Now, in collaboration with Brandt Eichman, PhD, and his group, the researchers have uncovered structural details of how HMCES binds to damaged DNA to protect it from mutation. Their findings were reported in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.