John Krais, PhD

John Krais, PhD

Oncology

Primary Academic Title

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine

Research Interest

The external environment and normal cellular processes can cause damage to DNA. Breaks to both strands of DNA are a significant threat to genome integrity and lead to a complex cellular response comprised of multiple DNA repair pathway options. Defects or inappropriate use of a repair mechanism impacts genome stability, cell survival, organismal development, and disease progression. Despite the consequential decision-making that occurs with each break, how a cell determines the appropriate repair mechanism remains poorly understood. Our laboratory investigates the signaling mechanisms that regulate double-strand DNA break repair to better understand cancer development and to design improved therapeutic approaches.

Education

  • 2014: PhD, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK

Training

  • 2010 - 2011: Research and Development Engineering Intern, FLIR Systems (ICx Agentase), Pittsburgh, PA
  • 2014 - 2022: Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular Therapeutics, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA