Cell Cycle Control Laboratory

Our lab investigates how cells switch between interphase and mitosis. For this purpose, we are using genetic and biochemical approaches in combination with microscopy and proteomic analysis. Mitosis is an immensely complex and stunningly beautiful process that plays a pivotal role in genome maintenance. Minor mistakes in the control of chromosome segregation can lead to the loss of entire chromosomes and cause genome instability and cancer. Cells undergo dramatic changes as they enter mitosis, such as centrosome separation, nuclear envelope breakdown, chromosome condensation, and mitotic spindle formation. Understanding the precise molecular mechanisms that control these cellular rearrangements is an important undertaking in cell biology. These efforts are critical to help us understand how things can go wrong in chromosome segregation in cancer cells and how we can exploit these processes to target cancer cells.