DNA repair mechanisms in mammalian cells; Human cancer prone and chromosome instability syndromes particularly Fanconi anaemia; breast cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 and their role in DNA repair and cell cycle control; the use of Chinese hamster cell mutants as a model system for studying human DNA repair; Cellular processes involved in the detection, repair or tolerance of DNA damage including the repair of DNA inter-strand cross-links and DNA strand breaks by homologous recombination repair (HRR) and the repair of DNA damage in replicating DNA and replication forks; Mismatch repair (MMR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ); mode of action of DNA crosslinking agents (e.g. mitomycin C) and topoisomerase inhibitors (e.g. camptothecin and etoposide) and their use as chemotherapeutic agents; mechanisms of mutation induction and carcinogenesis; cell cycle control; development of methods for DNA damage detection and human biomonitoring (e.g. single cell gel electrophoresis or Comet assay); use of reconstructed epidermis (3D skin models) for the detection of mutagens and the investigation of skin carcinogenesis.
