David Barford

David Barford is a Researcher at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC-LMB). His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of chromosome segregation during mitosis, with a particular emphasis on the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and kinetochore structure.

• Key Research Areas: Chromosome segregation, APC/C regulation, kinetochore architecture, cryo-electron microscopy, biophysics.
• Methodologies: Complete reconstitution of kinetochores, cryo-EM, optical tweezers, cryo-electron tomography.

His work has advanced structural insights into the APC/C and kinetochore-microtubule interactions, contributing to understanding mitotic fidelity and its implications in cancer and developmental defects. He actively recruits PhD students and post-doctoral researchers to his group.

Publications highlight structural studies of kinetochore complexes, APC/C activation, and checkpoint mechanisms using cryo-EM and biochemical approaches. His recent output includes analyses of the Dam1-Ndc80 complex and the budding yeast inner kinetochore.

Contact: dbarford@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk

Group Members: Dom Bellini, Forson Gao, Paula Paredes Vergara, Liting Wei, Yvonne Winterborn, Jing Yang, Cong Yu, Ziguo Zhang.