Accurate control of gene expression is essential for health and deregulation of these processes can result in disease. A key regulator of gene expression is RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII), an enzyme that reads our DNA’s genetic information. Mutations that affect RNAPII’s function can give rise to cancers, and RNAPII dysregulation is recognised as a hallmark of cancers. As such, the RNAPII pathway is a prime candidate for the development of novel anti-cancer treatments. Despite the importance of tightly regulated gene expression in biology, the mechanistic control of this process remains incompletely understood. Dr Stephin Vervoort’s innovative approach to understand RNAPII regulation uses genome-wide analyses paired with computational methods. His work has resulted in ground-breaking discoveries of fundamental regulatory mechanisms of RNAPII-driven gene expression, uncovering how these are dysregulated in cancer, and which component can be targeted therapeutically in cancer. Ultimately, he aims to develop drugs that prevent these cellular processes from malfunctioning.
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