Kajal Biswas, Ph.D.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Building 560, Room 22-63
- Frederick, MD 21702
- 301-846-7333
- kajal.biswas2@nih.gov
RESEARCH SUMMARY
BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BReast CAncer genes 1 and 2) are genes that produce proteins that help repair damaged DNA. People who inherit harmful variants in one of these genes have increased risk of developing certain cancers like breast and ovarian cancer. Sequencing-based genetic testing, used to identify if someone has inherited a harmful variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2, has now found thousands of variants that have not been previously associated with cancer. These variants are called variants of unknown significance (VUS). In our lab, we use a mouse embryonic stem cell-based functional assay and mouse models to determine the impact of VUS on gene function.
Areas of Expertise
1) breast cancer 2) DNA repair 3) variant analysis 4) recombineering 5) CRISPR 6) mouse models
Kajal Biswas, Ph.D.
Research
People who inherit harmful variants in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are at increased risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. Many variants identified by genetic testing have an unknown impact on the function of those genes and are known as variants of unknown significance (VUS). Our research is focused on functional dissection of those genes, and our lab has developed an assay system to learn the impact of those VUS. The assay is based on functional complementation of BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes in mouse embryonic stem cell using the human variants cloned in Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC).Â
Loss of BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes causes embryonic lethality. We are using a mouse embryonic cell-based system to identify genes whose activation can help the survival of BRCA1- or BRCA2- deficient mouse embryonic stem cells. This may help us understand how loss of those genes leads to embryonic lethality and in some cells how their loss leads to uncontrolled proliferation.
Publications
A computational model for classification of BRCA2 variants using mouse embryonic stem cell-based functional assays
BRE/BRCC45 regulates CDC25A stability by recruiting USP7 in response to DNA damage
Functional evaluation of BRCA2 variants mapping to the PALB2-binding and C-terminal DNA-binding domains using a mouse ES cell-based assay
A comprehensive functional characterization of BRCA2 variants associated with Fanconi anemia using mouse ES cell-based assay
Expression of human BRCA1 variants in mouse ES cells allows functional analysis of BRCA1 mutations
Biography
Kajal Biswas, Ph.D.
Kajal Biswas obtained his Ph.D. in biology in 2005 working in the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Joachim Morschhauser at the Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, Julius Maximilians University of Wuerzburg, Germany. Biswas then joined the Genetics of Cancer Susceptibility Section at the Center for Cancer Research in 2005 for his postdoctoral studies. He received a Federal Technology Transfer Award in 2010 and the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence in 2011. Since 2013, Biswas has served as a Staff Scientist in the Mouse Cancer Genetics Program at the National Cancer Institute at Frederick.