Balmus Laboratory

Introduction

The Balmus Laboratory studies genome instability in neurodegeneration and ageing. Mature neurons face a particular challenge: they must protect their genetic material over a lifetime. We ask how neurons respond to endogenous genotoxic stress, how these responses change in disease, and which repair pathways influence neuronal survival. Our approach combines CRISPR-Cas9 screening, human stem-cell-derived neuronal models and mouse models, applied to Huntington's disease, ALS and frontotemporal dementia, ataxia telangiectasia and Parkinson's disease. Our work on the naked mole-rat, a remarkably long-lived rodent, explores the biology of healthy brain ageing.