Date of Graduation

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Harris, Leonard

Committee Member/Reader

Du, Yuchun

Committee Member/Second Reader

Catanzaro, Donald

Committee Member/Third Reader

Chapman, Kate M.

Abstract

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic condition in which the cell’s DNA repair machinery is dysregulated, significantly increasing the chances of tumorigenesis. Further research is being done in order to improve patient outcomes and incidences of cancer. Our group created a computational model of the FA DNA repair gene network, which removes interstrand crosslinks found in damaged DNA and repairs it so DNA synthesis can continue. Computer simulations show the number of DNA damage indicators decreased as the pathway continued. This was expected as the FA pathway repairs DNA damage. The goal of this project was to provide further understanding of the protein interactions so that other biologically significant pathways may be added in the future.

Keywords

Fanconi anemia; Computational modeling; Cancer; Nucleotide excision repair

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