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Professor Ian David Hickson is a distinguished academic serving as Professor of Molecular Aging, Head of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and Theme Leader in the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health Sciences. He also directs the DNRF Center for Chromosome Stability, a major research center funded by a 65,000,000 DKK grant from the Danish National Research Foundation. Hickson's research focuses on understanding chromosomal instability and its impact on human disease, particularly cancer, neurodegeneration, and infertility. His laboratory pioneered the discovery of ultra-fine anaphase bridges (UFBs) and identified MiDAS (Mitotic DNA Synthesis), a process that completes DNA replication at difficult-to-replicate regions. His work combines protein biochemistry, molecular/cell biology, high-resolution imaging, and single-molecule biophysical techniques to study DNA metabolism and chromosome dynamics. The most recent publications demonstrate continued leadership in chromosome biology, with research spanning DNA topology, replication stress, chromosome mechanics, and the connection between DNA repair defects and cancer immunotherapy resistance. His work shows consistent focus on fundamental mechanisms of genome maintenance with clear implications for human disease. Fellow of the Royal Society (2010) Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (UK) (2010) Member of EMBO (2011) ERC Advanced Grant recipient (2012) FEBS National Lecturer Award (2013) Professor Hickson has supervised over 40 PhD students who have gone on to prominent positions worldwide, including professors at major universities, group leaders at research institutes, and scientific officers in biotech companies. His laboratory has established international collaborations across Europe, the US, and Asia, particularly with Zhejiang University in China where he holds a Qiushi Guest Professorship. He actively participates in organizing major international conferences on DNA replication and chromosome stability.

• DNA repair
• Chromosomal instability
• Bloom's syndrome
• +9 more

Rui Cui is a Guest Researcher at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and Molecular Aging Program, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Contactable via phone (+4535324771) and email (cuirui@sund.ku.dk), Cui investigates chromosomal instability mechanisms and their impact on human diseases including cancer, neurodegeneration, and infertility. Research centers on genome maintenance pathways, with emphasis on common fragile sites as models for difficult-to-replicate genomic regions and the characterization of ultra-fine anaphase bridges (UFBs)—DNA structures connecting sister chromatids during mitosis. UFBs are coated with proteins like PICH and BLM helicase (mutated in Bloom's syndrome), studied through protein biochemistry, molecular/cell biology, high-resolution imaging, and microfluidics-based single-molecule techniques for in vitro DNA metabolism reconstitution. Recent work trends show a focus on mitotic regulation, exemplified by the 2025 EMBO Journal article on anaphase bridge signaling to the abscission checkpoint, revealing how UFBs influence cell division fidelity and disease pathogenesis. This aligns with broader efforts to link defective genome maintenance to cancer predisposition. Cui operates within the Hickson Group, a research team dedicated to understanding disease-causing mutations in genome maintenance genes. Collaborative efforts span country-level networks in molecular aging research, leveraging advanced biophysical tools to dissect DNA metabolism pathways.

• Genome Stability
• Chromosomal Instability
• Cancer Biology
• +5 more