Gemma Moore, PhD

My research is currently focused on the DNA repair field, the role it plays in cancer biology and more specifically how this role can be exploited in terms of cancer treatment. I investigate the roles of DNA repair proteins involved in homologous recombination particularly BRCA1, BRCA2, RAD51 and also the base excision repair protein PARP1. My work involves evaluating changes in a range of cell biology aspects due to BRCA1/2 mutations or lack of expression. I also have a focus on treatment of cancer cells possessing a BRCA1/2 mutation particularly the use of PARP inhibitors as a treatment and the development of resistance. A proposed mechanism of PARPi inhibitor resistance is restoration of the functional BRCA2 protein through reversion mutations. These reversion mutations are very poorly understood, limited data is currently available and no consensus exists on how these mutations occur as of yet. I am examining BRCA2 reversion mutations from patients through inducing these mutations in vitro then examining the functionality of this reverted BRCA2.