The video series Meet Our Scientists presents Travis Stracker, head of the Genomic Instability and Cancer lab at IRB Barcelona.
The video “Maintaining stability of the genome” highlights the research underway to unravel how cells prevent genomic instability.
The research performed by biologist Travis Stracker (Cleveland, OH, USA, 1974), head of the Genomic Instability and Cancer lab at IRB Barcelona, focuses on understanding of how cells prevent the accumulation of genomic instability.
This instability is caused by the accumulation of unrepaired mutations and errors in chromosomes. DNA damage occurs during each cell division or through exposure to exogenous agents, such as solar radiation, and chemical substances, such as tobacco smoke.
Stracker studies how cells prevent the accumulation of genomic instability by identifying the basic mechanisms that maintain the genome: “We have a genome consisting of millions of base pairs and it’s so delicate and susceptible: one mistake in the wrong place can have severe consequences.
In addition, his team studies how genomic instability influences cancer and rare diseases such as microcephaly. Stracker believes that his findings may be able to help provide patients with better treatments in the future.
Barcelona is a great place in which to do research, says the scientist, who is very happy to be living in a city that inspires creativity. In this regard, he thinks that there are parallels between music and science, saying “in both we have to work well as a team, depending on the individual talents of each of the group members, and we have to use creativity and improvisation in order to tackle challenging questions”.
Stracker shows the music tapes that his friends have given him over the years that reflect how far technology has progressed. “I look forward to seeing what the next 25 years bring in terms of technological development”, he says.
"Meet Our Scientists" is a series of short videos that presents the group leaders at IRB Barcelona. The videos seek to showcase the vision, passion, character and talent of the scientists working at the centre, as well as to disseminate biomedical research.
This video has been supported by the Spanish Foundation of Science and Technology (FECYT) and the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.
TV3’s programme “Els Matins” has interviewed Francesc Posas, director of IRB Barcelona, about the increase in donations given to NGOs and research centres in Catalonia and about the #Metastasis Challenge campaign. During the interview, he talked about the importance of small fundraising initiatives undertaken by individuals, such as that of Magdalena Socias, a cancer patient who has decided to join the challenge by walking the Sierra de Tramontana to give visibility to the fight against metastasis.
Many treatments against cancer, such as TRAIL, aim to trigger a type of cell death known as apoptosis.
A team at IRB Barcelona, headed by Antonio Zorzano, has demonstrated that the protein TP53INP2 induces apoptosis in chemotherapy treatments.
The radio station Cope, and the newspapers Ara Balear, Diario de Mallorca and Ultima Hora, among other media, have echoed news about the personal challenge taken on by Magdalena Socias, a cancer patient in Majorca, who intends to cross La Serra de Tramuntana on foot in order to increase awareness of the fight against the metastasis. This hike is part of the #MetastasisChallenge campaign, through which the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) aims to raise €5 M over the next four years to boost research in this field.
