John Krais, PhD

2024 Early Career Investigator Grant

Washington University in St. Louis
Targeting RNF168-amplified ovarian cancer

Project Summary
RNF168 regulates the DNA damage response and is amplified in a majority of ovarian cancers. Increased expression hyperactivates damage signaling and promotes cell survival following exposure to DNA damaging treatments. My proposal investigates how the DNA damage response is altered in RNF168-amplified cancers, which current treatment options are most effective, and what new therapeutic targets specifically kill RNF168-amplified ovarian cancers. To achieve these objectives, I developed innovative imaging methodology to probe the impacts on DNA repair and generated promising genetic targets by genome-wide screening. This groundbreaking work establishes the foundation to significantly improve how RNF168-amplified ovarian cancers are treated.

Bio
John Krais, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis and is a member of the Center for Genome Integrity at Siteman Cancer Center. He received a BS in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh and subsequently obtained a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma. He trained as a postdoctoral researcher at Fox Chase Cancer Center and focused on DNA repair biology and therapy responses in ovarian cancer. The Krais laboratory is investigating how DNA damage signaling impacts tumor progression and therapy responses, and how DNA repair alteration can be exploited to treat cancer.