DNA Repair Content

A Billion Daily Repairs: How Our Cells Mend Broken DNA

Andy Fell — March 23, 2026 - 10:45am

A major new discovery could inspire improved treatments for cancer and genetic diseases.

Coiled within our cells are fragile threads of DNA that contain the codes of life— determining when each of our 30 trillion cells must grow, divide, sit tight — or simply die. This arrangement is precarious. Billions of times per day, our DNA is severed by stray chemical reactions. Our cells must rebuild the broken DNA without making mistakes – or the consequences can be dire.

Experiments in Yeast Hint at Possible Origins of Cancer and Autism

Andy Fell — October 24, 2023 - 4:51pm

Cancer often starts with the reshuffling of DNA—akin to scrambling the pages of a dictionary. Exactly how this happens has long been a mystery. But researchers in the 51�ԹϺ�� Davis College of Biological Sciences have now arrived at one promising explanation.

Understanding Why BRCA2 Is Linked to Cancer Risk

Andy Fell — April 03, 2023 - 10:00am

A new study shows exactly how the gene BRCA2, linked to susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer, functions to repair damaged DNA. By studying BRCA2 at the level of single molecules, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have generated new insights into the mechanisms of DNA repair and the origins of cancer. The work was published the week of March 27 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Single-protein Images Show How E. coli Repairs DNA While Replicating It

Andy Fell — September 22, 2022 - 11:34am

The success of E. coli bacteria depends on their ability to multiply very rapidly by dividing into new cells. The bacteria can divide as quickly as they can make an entire new copy of their DNA while minimizing errors. New work from researchers at the University of California, Davis College of Biological Sciences answers a key question about how E. coli fixes damage to DNA in the middle of duplicating it.