Dr. Philip Hanawalt

Biography

Philip C. Hanawalt is a prominent researcher in the field of DNA repair. He is known for his pioneering discoveries in DNA repair mechanisms and replication. His research traces back to 1963 when he demonstrated the importance of repair replication in E. coli. Hanawalt developed various experimental approaches for studying DNA repair, including the BrdUrd density labeling method, which helped resolve semiconservatively replicated DNA and identify repair patches. He collaborated with James Cleaver in 1968 to document DNA repair defects in xeroderma pigmentosum. His laboratory has made significant contributions including the demonstration of preferential mutagenesis at DNA replication forks and early evidence of membrane association of DNA replication complexes in mammalian cells. Hanawalt's discovery of long-patch excision-repair mechanisms in E. coli and the inducible components regulating this repair, as well as the gene controlling nucleotide uptake in E. coli, have been fundamental in understanding DNA repair processes. Recent research focuses on the effects of DNA lesions on transcription elongation and the responses of cells with DNA repair-deficient disorders. The implications of his discoveries reach into mutagenesis, environmental carcinogenesis, and risk assessment.

Research Interests