Jean Cook

Dr. Jean Cook is a Research Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, leading the Jean Cook Lab within the School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms governing the human cell division cycle, DNA replication, and their implications in cancer biology.

• Key affiliations: UNC School of Medicine, active collaborations with cell cycle and DNA metabolism labs
• Research areas: Cell cycle regulation, cancer cell proliferation, chromatin dynamics, and molecular signaling

Using cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry, her lab investigates how disruptions in DNA replication cause mutations in cancer cells. The lab employs single-cell analyses, genetic/pharmacological manipulations, and protein interaction studies. A 2022 time-lapse video demonstrates their work visualizing cell cycle reporters in human epithelial cells.

Their findings aim to improve cancer diagnosis and therapies by understanding chromosomal duplication inefficiencies and regulatory errors.