Douglas Bishop

Douglas Bishop is a Professor in the Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology at the University of Chicago's Biological Sciences Division. His research focuses on the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of homologous recombination during meiosis, with a particular emphasis on the functional interplay between Dmc1 and Rad51 proteins. He has pioneered immunostaining techniques to visualize recombination complexes and employs super-resolution microscopy for structural analysis.

• PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from Harvard University
• B.A. in Biology from Amherst College

His research interests span meiotic recombination, homology-directed DNA repair, genome stability in cancer, and small molecule modulators of Rad51. Key projects include biochemical reconstitution of Dmc1 activity, analysis of recombinosome architecture, and development of tumor-targeted therapies using Rad51-stimulatory compounds like RS-1.

The 15 most recent publications (2024-2015) cover meiotic DNA repair mechanisms (87%), cancer biology (33%), and immunology (13%). Common subtopics include DSB regulation, recombinase function, ATPase activity, synaptonemal complex interactions, and chemical modulation of DNA repair pathways.

• NIH R35GM134942 (2020-2025): Mechanism of Dmc1-mediated Meiotic Recombination
• NIH R03CA205518 (2016-2018): Separating Rad51 functions in repair vs replication
• NIH R01GM050936 (1994-2020): Meiotic interactions of Dmc1

Bishop's lab develops protocols for yeast chromosome spreading, immunostaining, and fluorescent D-loop assays. His work demonstrates Rad51's dual role in mitotic DNA repair and meiotic recombination, with implications for cancer therapy through Rad51 overexpression targeting.