Dr Julie Cooper

Telomere Biology Laboratory
London Research Institute
London

Tying up the loose ends of DNA

Dr Julie Cooper runs the Telomere Biology Laboratory at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute. Her research focuses on 'telomeres', structures that cap the ends of chromosomes much like plastic caps on the ends of shoelaces.

The telomeres in most normal cells get shorter every time the cell divides in two. This chromosome shortening limits the number of times normal cells can divide. However, cancer cells switch on a protein called telomerase, which maintains the telomeres and makes cancer cells immortal. Dr Cooper's team are investigating how these telomeres work in order to identify new ways to treat cancer.