معرفی
Rafal Donczew is a researcher at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), where he leads a lab studying the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication and gene transcription. He joined OMRF’s scientific staff in 2022 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. His work focuses on the roles of BET proteins in chromatin regulation and their implications for cancer therapy.
Education:
- M.S., Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland (2009)
- Ph.D., Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Poland (2015)
Research Interests: Donczew’s lab investigates how BET proteins coordinate transcription and DNA replication, using yeast as a model system. Key areas include BET protein recruitment mechanisms, their interactions with chromatin-modifying complexes, and their role in genome stability. His work bridges fundamental biology and translational research, aiming to identify novel therapeutic targets for cancer and immunoinflammatory diseases.
Scientific Awards:
- EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship (2016-2017)
- START Scholarship, Foundation for Polish Science (2015)
- PRELUDIUM pre-doctoral grant (2013-2015)
Lab Team: Includes Magdalena Donczew (Assistant Staff Scientist), John Ridenour (Assistant Staff Scientist), and administrative support staff. The lab employs functional genomics, proteomics, and biochemical approaches to study chromatin dynamics.
Future Directions: Ongoing projects explore BET proteins’ dual roles in transcription and replication, resistance mechanisms to BET inhibitors, and the spatiotemporal coordination of these processes to prevent genomic conflicts.
