Chemistry
Achini Eliyapura
- 2026 Summer Dissertation Fellow
Dissertation Title:
The MCM8–MCM9 complex as a Guardian of Genome Stability During Replication Stress
Dissertation Description:
My dissertation investigates how a protein involved in DNA replication helps cancer cells survive replication problems during cell division, and how disrupting this process could contribute to new cancer treatment strategies.
What Faculty Say About the Impact of This Research:
“Achini is at a stage where she is finishing her final experiments to be included in an upcoming high impact paper on the role of MCM8/9 for ensuring that any ssDNA is fixed prior to cell division in mitosis. This has broad implication in cancer biology and makes MCM8/9 a possible therapeutic target to go after.”
Michael A. Trakselis, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Director of Graduate Affairs
