Amanda Chaplin

Amanda Chaplin serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Leicester and leads Working Group 1 (Structure, function and dynamics of macromolecular complexes) within the Chemistry of Life theme at LINXS.

Her research specializes in elucidating DNA-repair mechanisms through cryo-electron microscopy, with primary focus on the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway. Key investigations include:

• Structural analysis of NHEJ core proteins (Ku70/80, DNA-PKcs, DNA-PK)
• Characterization of supercomplexes involving XLF, XRCC4, and Ligase IV
• Discovery of novel dimeric forms of DNA-PK enabling alternate oligomeric assemblies
• Mechanistic insights into cellular response to DNA double-strand breaks

Her work directly addresses disease pathways where faulty DNA repair leads to cancer development, revealing architectural principles of macromolecular complexes critical for cellular survival.