Lata Balakrishnan

Lata Balakrishnan is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Biology at Indiana University's School of Science. She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of North Dakota (2007), and prior degrees from the University of Mumbai, India. Her research focuses on understanding DNA replication, repair, and epigenetic regulation of viral processes. Specifically, her work examines how post-translational modifications like lysine acetylation modulate DNA replication fidelity and repair mechanisms, with implications for genome stability and disease.

Her research integrates biochemistry, chromatin biology, and genetics to study viral minichromosomes (e.g., SV40) and eukaryotic DNA metabolism. Key topics include the role of acetylation in regulating enzymes like Dna2, FEN1, and Pif1, as well as histone modifications during viral transcription and replication. She has developed methods like the Dual Agarose Magnetic (DAM) ChIP for epigenetic analysis and contributed to understanding R-loop resolution and trinucleotide repeat expansions.

Dr. Balakrishnan’s publications span over two decades, covering topics from DNA repair pathways to viral epigenetics. Her work bridges fundamental biological mechanisms with applications in cancer therapeutics and genome stability. She is affiliated with Indiana University’s Department of Biology, conducting research in the SL 208A laboratory.