The DNA in our cells is damaged every time we go out in the sun, drink a glass of wine  or even just sit perfectly still. Thankfully, multicellular organisms have evolved a dizzying number of ways to fix DNA damage called the DNA-damage response (DDR); a complex collective set of mechanisms that detect DNA lesions, signal their presence and promote their repair. While DNA repair pathways have recently been exploited to treat diseases, the mechanisms are not fully understood.

The EU-funded DDREAMM project is a collaboration between three labs investigating DDR pathways to identify factors that confer sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, DDR deficiency, and resistance to DDR-targeting treatments. This project will lead to insights into human genome surveillance, generate tools allowing precise control of DNA repair and speed the development of new therapies for cancer and other diseases.

News

01  September  2022

As of 15 August, Joanna Loizou  took up a new position at AstraZeneca as Director of Translational Medicine in Early Oncology in Cambridge UK. Joanna will continue to promote the DDREAMM project advancement as an advisor. We wish her all the best! 

14  June  2021

Awards and Fellowships

Joanna Loizou was awarded the Mannagetta Award for Medicine from the Austrian Academy of Sciences in recognition of the outstanding contribution she has made in the field of genome stability in oncology. Congrats!