Uri Ben-David, PhD
Human cells have two sets of 23 chromosomes, one from each parent. In normal cell division, one copy of each chromosome goes to each “daughter cell.” Errors can occur in this process, changing the number and structure of chromosomes in cancer cells, and helping some cancer cells multiply. Prof. Ben-David studies chromothripsis, the shattering and restitching of a chromosome which occurs in some 50% of tumors. He hopes to identify cellular vulnerabilities associated with this phenomenon and ultimately inspire new chromothripsis-based therapies.