Directory

Sharon Cantor

Associate Professor | PhD

My laboratory focuses on understanding how tumor suppressor proteins function to maintain genomic integrity and suppress cancer. In particular, we focus on the hereditary breast and ovarian cancer genes, BRCA1, BRCA2 and the BRCA1-associated helicase, FANCJ (BACH1/ BRIP1). Bi-allelic loss of these genes also causes Fanconi anemia (FA), a rare chromosomal instability and cancer syndrome. Our work on FANCJ revealed that DNA repair defects underlie both hereditary breast cancer and FA. Currently, we are employing biochemical and whole-genome screening technologies, to uncover mechanisms regulating DNA repair choice and how cancer cells evade toxic chemotherapies.

The Latest

News & Events

From Intuition to Action: Advocacy and Hope with FA

By Kelly McKenna My name is Kelly McKenna, and I’m a single mom to two amazing kids. One of them is an eight-year-old boy who has Fanconi anemia (FA). Logan’s medical journey started during my pregnancy at the 20-week anatomy...

Read More >

Collaborating for Progress: A Parent’s Journey with FA and Advocacy

By Sarah Borden Our lives changed forever the day we learned our son Eli was diagnosed with Fanconi anemia. Just days earlier, we had celebrated his fourth birthday with family and friends, blissfully unaware of the journey ahead. When faced...

Read More >

It Takes a Village to Save a Life: Katherine’s Story

“If I had waited another six months, my story wouldn’t be the same.” Katherine was born into a world shaped by loss. Her older sister, Gracie, was diagnosed with Fanconi anemia (FA) shortly after the family moved to the United...

Read More >