Christine Beck, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Investigating the mechanisms and consequences of genomic rearrangements with a focus on repetitive elements.
The mechanisms governing non-recurrent human structural variation (SV) are diverse and often poorly understood. I am investigating how human DNA maintains fidelity in the context of a repetitive genome. For example, human Alu elements number over one million copies per human genome, and recent studies have found that these repeat sequences often mediate SVs in some loci. Through computational, molecular biological and genomic techniques, we will identify regions susceptible to this form of SV and investigate the enzymes that limit or promote Alu-mediated rearrangements. These lines of inquiry could find regions prone to instability in human cancers and lead to targets for therapy.
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Research HighlightFebruary 22, 2024Improving the analyses of whole genome sequence data
Christine Beck and Peter Audano are at the forefront of research involving long-read sequence data. They are particularly interested in structural variants, where segments of the genome are deleted, inserted, duplicated or inverted. -
Research HighlightAugust 23, 2023New insights from fully sequencing 43 human Y chromosomes
New research presents the complete sequences of multiple human Y chromosomes from lineages from around the globe for the first time. This provides an essential step forward in understanding the roles of the Y chromosome in human evolution and biology. -
Research HighlightJanuary 27, 2023Transposable elements within the dynamic human genome
Christine Beck is examining transposable elements within the human genome. -
Research HighlightMarch 12, 2019A closer look at structural variants in the genome
A recent Cell paper uses long-read DNA sequencing and other advanced genomics tools and methods to shed light on genomic structural variants.
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Press ReleaseDecember 19, 2023JAX's 2023 achievements
JAX is celebrating important research breakthroughs, new faculty and leadership appointments, and crucial advancements in legislation. -
Research HighlightApril 05, 2023Exploring genetic diversity in mouse strains
Christine Beck led a team that explored mouse genome, and revealed details across 20 diverse inbred strains that will be critical for informing mouse-based genetics and genomics research moving forward. -
Research HighlightJanuary 26, 2022The consequences of alternative splicing in breast cancer
JAX researchers used long-read mRNA sequencing to catalog all mRNAs in primary breast cancer samples and revealed previously undocumented mRNA isoforms that can change protein function and may contribute to cancer progression and therapy response. -
Search MagazineSeptember 11, 2018Jumping genes and where to find them
Assistant Professor Christine Beck, Ph.D., is uncovering how recurring sequences in our genomes might shed light on genome stability, as well as diseases like cancer.