Dr. Jeffrey Han, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and a Tulane Cancer Center program member, has received a five-year, \$2 million NIGMS grant to study transposons—"jumping genes" that can disrupt DNA through unchecked movement. His research focuses on LINE-1 (L1), a family of transposons linked to infertility, cancer, aging, and neurological diseases. Using a mouse model, Han aims to suppress L1 activity by targeting the ESCRT pathway to better understand how these elements contribute to meiotic arrest and infertility. The findings could eventually lead to new treatments for infertility and cancer by blocking transposon-related DNA damage.
 

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