MM2M

Some cells in our body divide very fast. For instance, the layer of cells that lines our bowel is completely renewed every five days and this requires a large number of cell divisions. With each cell division there is a chance that mistakes will arise in the DNA. Mistakes in our DNA can be harmful as they might initiate the formation of tumours. Fortunately, nature has provided our cells with intricate DNA repair machinery. This allows cells to correct most of the mistakes in our DNA.

The mismatch2model consortium investigates one of the repair mechanisms in the cell: the mismatch repair mechanism. Funded by the European Commission, they aim to identify all the players in the mismatch repair team and to fully understand all the interactions among them. The ultimate goal is to create a comprehensive computer model of the mismatch repair mechanism. Such a model will allow researchers to make predictions. What if one of the players in the team is not functioning properly? What will be the effect?

In the following sections you can read more about DNA mismatches (1), the repair team (2 and 4), the links to cancer (3) and modeling the repair mechanism (5). All this information is also available as PDF.

On monday 25 January Claire Wyman, who is one of the principal investigators of MM2M of the Erasmus MC, gave a lecture in the Science Cafe in Rotterdam. The Science Cafe was the second stop of The Nano Caravan, a series of public debates on Nanotechnology in six cities in the Netherlands. The Science Cafe in Rotterdam was attended by more than 100 visitors and was broadcasted live via multiple internet sites. The registration of the cafe can be viewed here.

Credits