Priscilla C. Olsen, Ph.D.

Sections

Priscilla C. Olsen, Ph.D.
Title
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department
Department of Molecular Immunology
Institution
The Rockefeller University
Address
1230 York Avenue
City, State, ZIP
New York, NY 10065
Phone
212-327-8067
Email
[email protected]
Website
http://www.rockefeller.edu/research/faculty/labheads/MichelNussenzweig/#content
Research field
Immunology
Award year
2016
Country of origin
Brazil
Mentor name
Michel Nussenzweig, M.D., Ph.D.

Research

The Nussenzweig lab explores how the rapid proliferation of immune cells during infection could precipitate cancer. When the body is invaded by viruses, bacteria, or parasites, antibody-producing B cells swiftly expand their ranks to help clear the infection. This vigorous cellular replication comes with a price: When DNA is copied at a rapid pace to produce large numbers of cells, it is at risk of accruing damage, including the sorts of chromosome breaks and rearrangements that may trigger the development of lymphomas. I will stimulate the rapid division of B cells and identify the "fragile sites" within the genome that are prone to breaks and rearrangement. I will also assess whether a protein known to recognize and bind to spots of DNA damage can protect dividing B cells from genomic rearrangements at these sites—work that could point toward novel therapies for cancers that develop in the cells of the immune system.

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