BMG in Motion

In our School of Medicine Research in Motion video series, we asked our researchers three questions: What do you do? What do you love about your research? How will it impact human health?

Studying Diseases Caused by Defects in DNA Replication

“I love that I’m able to study a fundamental process in biology. Each cell in our body has about two meters of genetic material that needs to be duplicated before the cell can divide and this needs to happen a million times during human development. It requires a precise biochemical machine and I find that fascinating.” —Anja Bielinsky, Chair, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Genetics

Targeting Leukemia: Uncovering the Mechanisms of Blood Cancer

“We are interested in understanding how different mutations associated with blood cancer contribute to the disease. Our ultimate goal is to find new therapeutic targets and develop novel therapies for leukemias.” —Golam Mohi, PhD, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and Co-Leader of the Hematological Malignancies Translational Research team at the UVA Cancer Center

Can We Treat Cancer Differently? Hao Jiang Thinks So

“My laboratory studies how the expression of our genetic information is normally regulated and how cancer and certain developmental disorders are caused by disregulation of gene expression through novel mechanisms, including formation of liquid-like microdroplets of key proteins.” —Hao Jiang, PhD, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Unlocking Life’s Secrets: How Cryo-EM Is Transforming Structural Biology

“My lab specializes in structural biology, using cryo-electron microscopy to determine the atomic structures of complex biological assemblies. Their research spans an extraordinary range from pathogenic bacteria that infect humans to archaea thriving in boiling acid.” — Edward Egelman, PhD, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics