Dr. Kirill Lobachev

Biography

Kirill Lobachev's research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying eukaryotic genome stability, particularly the role of chromosome rearrangements in generating genetic variation, with both deleterious and advantageous consequences. His work highlights karyotypic abnormalities as hallmarks of tumors and hereditary diseases in humans. Chromosome rearrangements are integral to programmed genetic modifications during cellular differentiation and development, while gross DNA rearrangements significantly influence chromosome evolution in eukaryotic organisms. His contributions to the field of genome instability demonstrate that repetitive sequences found in eukaryotic genomes are potent sources of genome instability. Lobachev specifically investigates the fundamental processes by which these repetitive sequences adopt non-canonical DNA secondary structures, such as hairpins and cruciforms, leading to replication arrest and double-strand breaks, resulting in gross chromosomal rearrangements. His laboratory employs molecular biology approaches to study the instability of secondary structure-forming repeats in model organisms like Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, as well as in human fibroblasts. He collaborates with Dr. Malkova's lab at the University of Iowa to explore the outcomes of double-strand break formation at unstable repeats through break-induced replication.

Research Interests