Announcing the Establishment of the Penn Center for Genome Integrity
October 3, 2019
To:Penn Medicine Faculty and Staff
From:J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD
Jonathan A. Epstein, MD
We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Penn Center for Genome Integrity (PCGI), under the leadership of founding director Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD. The PCGI will integrate cutting-edge research in our basic and clinical sciences to advance our fundamental understanding of genome integrity and its contributions to human biology.
Genome integrity is essential for organism survival, immune system development, and for the inheritance of traits to offspring. The maintenance of genome integrity plays a critical role in the prevention of cancer and other age-associated diseases. The new Center will nucleate outstanding investigators with diverse areas of scientific and clinical expertise across the Penn campus, including those working in the areas of DNA repair and cell cycle, immune signaling, virology, tumor detection/targeting, and stem cells. With increased opportunities for interaction and collaboration, the Center will support and promote the development of multi-investigator grants, shared resources, and translation of basic science into the clinic.
Dr. Greenberg is the J. Samuel Staub, MD Professor in the Department of Cancer Biology and the Director of Basic Science for the Basser Center for BRCA, who began his independent research career at the Perelman School of Medicine in 2007. As a widely recognized and respected leader in genome integrity, Dr. Greenberg’s laboratory has made seminal contributions to our understanding of DNA repair, cancer susceptibility, and response to anti-cancer therapy. His basic findings have led to the identification of new breast cancer susceptibility genes, a human syndrome associated with biallelic BRCA1 mutations, and insights into mechanisms by which DNA damage and immune responses cooperate to determine the efficacy of targeted therapies. In addition to his highly collaborative approach, Dr. Greenberg has published extensively, serves on NIH study section and a number of review committees, and will organize the Keystone Symposium on Genome Instability and DNA Repair next year.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Greenberg on the establishment of the Penn Center for Genome Integrity, which will further propel Penn as a leader in fundamental, interdisciplinary science.