​The Koren Lab

DNA replication is the fundamental mechanism of genetic inheritance, but also a major opportunity for the introduction of mutations. DNA is replicated in a highly organized manner, with different regions of the genome replicating at different times. The Koren lab studies the causes and consequences of these DNA replication timing programs. We apply genomic approaches, integrating experimental and computational biology, to profile replication timing in different people and in different cells.

 

These are some of the questions we are interested in:

 

- How does DNA replication timing vary among people?

 

- How does replication timing influence the rates and patterns of mutations across the genome?

 

- What are the genetic and epigenetic determinants of DNA replication timing?

​

- Is DNA replication timing altered in cancer and in developmental diseases?

​

- What are the forces driving the evolution of DNA replication timing?

 

- Does replication timing influence the establishment of chromatin structure and of gene  

  expression levels?