James Hutchins

One of the defining properties of life is the ability of a cell to duplicate its genome, to divide, and thus reproduce.

During each round of division the cell must duplicate its entire genome - housed in the chromosomes - exactly once, then separate the identical chromosome copies into the new "daughter" cells. The process is under tight regulation, and when this is lost the result can be developmental defects, or diseases such as cancer.

Essential molecular mechanisms controlling genome duplication and cell division are conserved through evolution, from yeasts to humans. Uncovering these requires contributions from the fields of genetics, biochemistry and cell biology.

My main research interests are in the regulation of chromatin during the cell division cycle: how DNA is replicated in interphase, how chromatin is arranged in the nucleus, and how chromosomes are segregated in mitosis.

My principal aims are to discover protein "molecular machines" that govern these processes, and to work out how these components interact to perform their functions.