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Faculty
Ilya Finkelstein
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Email: ifinkelstein@cm.utexas.edu
Website
Main Office: MBB 3.422
Phone: 512-471-1394

Alternate Office: MBB 
Alt. Phone: 512-475-6172

Mailing Address
Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station
Austin ,TX 78712
Ilya Finkelstein

Research Summary

Biophysical Studies of Genome Maintenance -- Genomic DNA acts as the blueprint for life and all organisms have evolved complex protein machines that faithfully maintain our genetic material. Genomic instability, which arises from defects in these proteins, is a defining feature of most cancers. Elucidating the mechanisms of DNA maintenance is therefore fundamental to our understanding of the molecular basis of many cancer types. Our interdisciplinary research program combines aspects of single-molecule biophysics, molecular biology and micro-/nano-scale engineering to understand how organisms are able to maintain their genomic integrity. To increase our understanding of this essential problem, we develop new techniques that allow us to directly observe, in real time, the key biochemical reactions as they occur on DNA.