Jesper Qualmann Svejstrup

Jesper Qualmann Svejstrup is a Professor at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. His research group focuses on the molecular mechanisms of transcription and its interface with other DNA-related processes including DNA repair, replication, and recombination. He maintains an active research profile with numerous publications and leads the Svejstrup Research Group.

Dr. Svejstrup earned his PhD in Molecular Biology from Aarhus University in 1993. He has held external positions including Visiting Scientist at The Francis Crick Institute since September 2020, demonstrating his international research collaborations and standing in the scientific community.

Professor Svejstrup's research primarily investigates how transcription interfaces with DNA repair mechanisms, particularly transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER). His laboratory studies the mechanisms of transcription with emphasis on transcript elongation in human cells, using biochemical, genetic, and cell biological techniques. A significant portion of his work focuses on how damage-stalled RNA polymerase II triggers DNA repair pathways and how transcription-associated genome instability occurs. His research has important implications for understanding cancer mechanisms where genome instability and deregulated gene expression are hallmarks.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on RNA polymerase II mechanisms, transcription termination, DNA damage response, and repair pathways. His work spans from fundamental transcription mechanisms to applied research on genome instability. The research increasingly incorporates RNA biology, particularly examining how DNA damage affects mRNA splicing, termination, and RNA processing more broadly.

• Fellow (2009)

Professor Svejstrup's work involves extensive collaboration across multiple institutions and countries. His research group employs a diverse range of techniques including reconstitution biochemistry, proteomics, genomics, and cell biological screening methods. He has secured funding for investigations into transcription-coupled repair mechanisms, RNA polymerase II ubiquitylation, and the interface between transcription and DNA repair pathways.

The Svejstrup Research Group operates within the Transcription, RNA, and Gene Medicine Program at the University of Copenhagen, maintaining strong connections with international research centers including The Francis Crick Institute. The group utilizes advanced methodologies such as quantitative SILAC proteomics, ChIP-Seq, RNA-Seq, CLIP-Seq, 4SU-Seq, and DRB/GRO-Seq to investigate transcriptional responses to DNA damage at the genome-wide level.