Robert Schiestl

Telephone: (310) 267-2087
E-mail: rschiestl@mednet.ucla.edu

Dr. Schiestl received his Ph.D. in Biology and Genetics from the University of Vienna, Austria, in 1983. He is currently a Professor of Pathology, Environmental Health and Radiation Oncology. Previously, he served as Assistant and Associate Professor in the Department of Cancer Cell Biology at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is Director of the UCLA Center for Environmental Genomics and a current member of the UCLA Cancer Center, UCLA Center of Occupational and Environmental Health, UCLA Interdepartmental Program in Molecular Toxicology (Faculty Advisory Committee), and UCLA ACCESS Graduate Program steering committee. He is also a member of the Planning Committee for the Environmental Mutagen Society meeting as well as Chair and Speak at the Symposium on "Genetic Instability" which will be held on March 11-15, 2003 at Miami Beach, Florida.

Dr. Schiestl's work centers mostly on basic mechanisms, genetic control and inducibility by carcinogens of homologous and illegitimate recombination, molecular events involved in carcinogenesis. Experiments are carried out in yeast, human cells and in transgenic mice. Particular projects include: (1) To determine inter-individual differences in DNA double-strand break repair efficiency in cells from radiation sensitive cancer patients with the aims to ultimately identify new genes affecting cancer predisposition; (2) To determine effects of mutations in DNA repair and DNA damage sensing genes such as Atm, p53, p21, Gadd45, rad52, Ku80, DNAPk and Werner syndrome on spontaneous and carcinogen induced genetic instability in mice; and (3) To determine basic mechanisms, genetic control and inducibility by carcinogens of DNA deletions and illegitimate recombination in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Lab Manager:
Nick Carls

Post-Docs:
Markus Kiechle, Ph.D
Horst Maxeiner, MD
Martha Repnevskaya, Ph.D
Romune Reliene, Ph.D
Zorica Scuric, Ph.D

Current Doctoral Students:
Cecilia Chan
Alexandra Hlavacova
Zhauna Kirpnick