UTMThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center · Biomedical Engineering
The Helix Repair Lab
Junjie Chen · Houston, Texas
Research Focus
Dr. Junjie Chen's lab at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center focuses on understanding how cells repair DNA damage and the role of specific enzymes in cancer treatment. They explore the mechanisms behind DNA topoisomerases, which are crucial for managing DNA structure during crucial cellular processes. The lab aims to develop improved cancer therapies by targeting DNA repair pathways and enhancing the effectiveness of current treatment strategies.
DNA damage repairtopoisomerasescancer therapyCRISPR screensDNA lesionstherapeutic responsecancer genomicstumor microenvironmentcellular stress
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how topoisomerases regulate DNA damage and repair mechanisms.
AIM 02Identify strategies to target DNA damage response pathways for cancer therapy.
AIM 03Study the effects of DNA repair defects on tumor behavior and treatment efficacy.
AIM 04Examine the interactions between cancer cells and their microenvironment in relation to DNA repair.
AIM 05Utilize CRISPR screens to discover new therapeutic targets related to DNA damage response.
Skills the Lab Values
DNA sequencingCRISPR gene editingcell culture techniquesmolecular cloningWestern blottingin vivo cancer modelsimmunohistochemistryflow cytometrygenetic manipulation of mammalian cells
Output against the department
Publications699top 8% of dept.50th of 595
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations44ktop 5% of dept.27th of 595
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.