Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
• SENIOR SCIENTIST • PROJECT MANAGER • VERSATILE EXPERTISE • Key qualifications: • Interdisciplinary expertise and broad experience encompassing human genetics, bioinformatics molecular and cellular biology, oncology, epidemiology and statistics • Conception and realization of research projects, comprising study design, hands-on benchwork, data analysis and interpretation • Human molecular genetics, human genetic diagnostics • Current Focus on projects utilizing Long-Read Sequencing (Third Generation Sequencing, Nanopore, PacBio) experiments and Next Generation Molecular Mapping (Bionano) • Broad Experience in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS, Massive Parallel Sequencing, High-Throughput Sequencing) approaches : Experimental workflows, data analysis and data interpretation, covering all current NGS applications • Personalized oncology and biomarker discovery (diagnostic, prognostic, predictive), including development of new biotechnical approaches and assays. • Substantial experience in working with statistical software (R, SPSS) • Managing collaborations in local, national and international research consortia • 10+ years of laboratory hands-on benchwork experience • Supervision and advanced training of doctoral candidates and undergraduates Education: • PhD (Dr. biol. hum.), Human Genetics, Ulm University Hospital (grade: summa cum laude) • MSc (Diplom), Biology, Ulm University (grade: with distinction)
Molecular genetic research & diagnostics at the Institute of Human Genetics
For a summary, see: https://www.dkfz.de/en/mol-epi/staff/h_surowy.html
For a summary, see: https://www.dkfz.de/en/mol-epi/staff/h_surowy.html
My work focused to elucidate if the cellular DNA repair capacity, genotypes of DNA repair genes and the occurrence of breast cancer can be associated with each other on the same set of probands. Rarely characterized features of the DNA repair capacity measures were studied in multiple cohorts of sporadic or familial breast cancer cases and controls as a prerequisite for their use in the definition as an intermediate phenotype of cancer. Various assays were utilized in parallel on the same peripheral blood samples of the probands to study cellular DNA repair efficency both in basal and damage-induced states, covering several end points of DNA repair mechanisms. These included aneuploidy-related failures of double-strand break repair like micronuclei and sister chromatid exchanges, defects in cell-cycle control (e.g. mitotic delay), and specific molecular DNA repair steps (host cell reactivation). The size of heritable components contributing to cellular DNA repair capacity was studied in addition by conducting these experiments within a large twin study with monozygous or dizygous twin pairs and unrelated individuals. Genetic variation was assesed by genotyping 23 missense variants in 15 DNA repair genes with intermediate allele frequencies and likely functional impact. Associations between all three types of phenotypes were observed and validated. The measured DNA repair end points are largely independent and can be used to characterize different aspects of the cellular DNA repair capacity. Lymphoblastoid cell lines are not applicable as surrogates for peripheral blood lymphocytes as source of study material. Heritability estimates showed that some assays predominantly reflect the influence of genetic factors, while others are less suited to study genetic influence. The concordance between the results of the three types of association studies corroborate the idea that the cellular DNA repair capacity can be of use as an intermediate phenotype of breast cancer.
• Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms, sanger sequencing and capillary gel electrophoresis • Establishing of cell-based DNA repair assays • Planning and supervision of practical courses for students of several subjects (medicine, molecular medicine and biology)