Brandeis University · BiologyHaber DNA Repair Lab
James E Haber · Waltham, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. James E. Haber's lab focuses on how cells sense and repair DNA damage, particularly double-strand breaks, using budding yeast as a model organism. They investigate the mechanisms involved in gene conversion and how this applies to both cancer biology and the Lyme disease bacterium. By utilizing advanced techniques, the lab aims to uncover the intricacies of DNA repair and its impact on genetic stability in both normal and diseased cells.
DNA damageDNA repairDouble-strand breaksGene conversionBudding yeastHomologous recombinationBorrelia burgdorferiCancer biologyCell cycleMolecular biology
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how cells detect and repair DNA double-strand breaks.
AIM 02Elucidate the mechanisms of gene conversion in Borrelia burgdorferi.
AIM 03Understand the mutations related to double-strand break repair.
AIM 04Explore the regulation of the DNA damage checkpoint.
AIM 05Apply findings to improve understanding of cancer-related genomic instability.
Skills the Lab Values
Molecular cloningDNA sequencingCell cultureGene editing (CRISPR)Yeast geneticsPCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)Gel electrophoresisMicroscopyBiochemical assaysHomologous recombination techniques
Output against the department
Publications538top 7% of dept.70th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations66ktop 3% of dept.26th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.