UT Health San Antonio

Sameer Salunkhe, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor/Research

Not currently seeking mentors.

Dr. Salunkhe earned his Ph.D. in Cancer Cell Biology from ACTREC in Mumbai, India, and joined Dr. Sung's lab at UT Health San Antonio in 2019 as a postdoctoral fellow. Trained in DNA repair, cell biology, and biochemistry, Dr. Salunkhe’s research has been instrumental in advancing understanding of the biological and tumor-suppressing functions of the BRCA1-BARD1 complex and the 53BP1 ensemble. DNA end resection is a crucial step in homologous recombination repair, yet its regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. Utilizing his expertise in biochemically reconstituting critical DNA lesion-processing reactions, Dr. Salunkhe has provided mechanistic insights into how BRCA1-BARD1 directly enhances the efficiency of these processes. Dr. Salunkhe has also developed innovative methods for expressing and purifying essential proteins, including 53BP1, RIF1, and PTIP. His current research aims to elucidate the role of the 53BP1 ensemble in regulating DNA end resection.