Rebecca Dagg

My research focuses on studying DNA repair and replication in cancers lacking homologous recombination. Specifically, investigating  the replication defects caused by BRCA1/2 inactivation and how these can be targeted by anti-cancer therapies such as PARP inhibitors to kill BRCA-mutated cancers. As resistance to PARP inhibitors presents a significant clinical challenge my work also focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms driving cancers to develop PARP inhibitor resistance. 

Rebecca completed a PhD at the University of Sydney examining the role of telomere lengthening mechanisms in neuroblastoma pathogenesis. Rebecca then joined the Department of Oncology as a postdoctoral researcher in the Genome Stability and Tumourigenesis lab with Prof. Madalena Tarsounas. This work utilises tissue culture, molecular biology and microscopy techniques to understand how replication failure in BRCA1/2-deficient cells can be exploited to selectively kill these cells.