Alberto Martin: DNA Damage and Repair in Immunity and Cancer

It’s a pleasure to invite you to the seminar by Alberto Martin (University of Toronto), titled “DNA Damage and Repair in Immunity and Cancer” on Monday, 17 November 2025 at 11:00 in Dendrite 2/3, Max Delbrück Center, Berlin-Buch. Poster attached.

Alberto Martin’s lab at the University of Toronto explores how DNA repair pathways shape immunity and disease. His research dissects how Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase (AID) and associated repair mechanisms drive somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination, processes that generate antibody diversity in B cells. His lab investigates the molecular basis of germinal center selection, where DNA damage and repair influence the survival and affinity maturation of B cells. Extending these insights, his group studies how defects in repair pathways, such as mismatch repair, contribute to lymphomagenesis and colorectal cancer, and how the gut microbiota interacts with these mechanisms to promote inflammation and tumorigenesis. 

We look forward to an inspiring talk and lively discussion!

Following the seminar, Alberto will be available for individual meetings in the afternoon. If you would like to schedule a time with him, please contact me or Casey Bass-Clements (caseydale.bassclements@mdc-berlin.de ), who is coordinating his visit.