معرفی
Marcus Smolka is a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University and serves as Associate Vice Provost for Research and Innovation. He leads the Smolka Lab, focusing on DNA damage signaling, genome maintenance, and replication stress. His work integrates proteomics, genetics, and biochemistry to study mechanisms of genome integrity and their links to cancer and reproduction. Smolka earned a Ph.D. from the State University of Campinas (Brazil) and completed postdoctoral training at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. He has held positions at Cornell since 2008.
- Education:
- Ph.D., State University of Campinas, 2002
- M.Sc., State University of Campinas, 1999
- B.Sc., State University of Campinas, 1996
Research Interests: Smolka's lab explores cell signaling networks involved in genome maintenance, including DNA damage checkpoint kinases (ATR/ATM/CHK1/CHK2), replication stress responses, and phosphoproteomic approaches to map kinase substrates. Key areas include:
- Replication fork dynamics and chemoresistance mechanisms
- Role of ATR in nuclear envelope dynamics and meiosis
- Development of proteomic tools for real-time kinase monitoring
Recent Trends in Publications: His work emphasizes quantitative phosphoproteomics to dissect signaling networks, with recent focus on DNA-PKcs regulation, XY chromosome silencing in meiosis, and ATR's role in suppressing genomic instability. Collaborations span neurodegeneration, bacterial-host interactions, and metabolic control mechanisms.
- Awards:
- American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award (2015)
- NIH/National Cancer Institute F31 Fellowship (Will Comstock, 2023)
- Harry & Samuel Mann Outstanding Graduate Student Award (Jumana Badar, 2023)
Advising & Grants: Supervised over 30 graduate and undergraduate students, including notable trainees like Yi Liu (now at Pfizer) and Diego Dibitetto (Principal Investigator, Mario Negri Institute). Funded by NIH, ACS, Emerson Collective, and Cornell initiatives. Current projects leverage proteomics to identify drug synergies for cancer therapy and explore replication stress biology.
Labs & Collaborations: The Smolka Lab collaborates with the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology and engages in multi-institutional projects on DNA repair, meiotic recombination, and proteomic technologies. Active in training next-generation scientists through mentorship and course instruction (e.g., BIOMG 8369).
