BOL

DNA is quite fragile and easily damaged, both by the normal processes of life at work within our cells and by external agents such as the chemicals in tobacco smoke or ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. However, our cells have evolved clever ‘repair kits’ that spot DNA damage and patch it up, helping to protect us against tumours. If these repair kits are faulty or inefficient then mistakes can quickly build up and cause cells to become cancerous.

They are particularly interested in a type of DNA repair known as double-strand break repair, which happens when the DNA molecule has been completely snapped in two. Not only does this happen in normal cells in the body to repair DNA damage, but it also occurs when eggs and sperm are made (known as meiosis) and during the generation of cells in the immune system.

https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/labs/simon-boulton