Bjoern Schwer, MD, PhD
Research Interests: DNA repair, genome stability, chromatin regulation, transcriptional regulation, brain cancer, neural stem cells
The broad, long-term objective of the Schwer laboratory is to gain mechanistic insight into how the interrelated processes of DNA repair, chromatin regulation, and transcriptional regulation, affect normal brain physiology and disorders. More specifically, Dr. Schwer investigates mechanisms of chromosomal DNA double-strand break formation and repair in neural stem/progenitor cells and other neural cell types in the contexts of neurodevelopment, neural functioning, diversity, and disease.
One major current focus involves understanding causes of genome instability and chromosomal rearrangements in neural progenitors that give rise to medulloblastoma and other brain cancers.
2003: MD, University of Heidelberg, Germany
2005: PhD, University of Heidelberg, Germany
2007: Postdoctoral Fellow, Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, UCSF
2010: Research Fellow, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
2010-2014: Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
2014-2016: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
2016-Present: Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, UCSF
2016-Present: Core Member, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, UCSF
2016-Present: Associate Member, Neurologic Oncology (Cancer Genetics), Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCSF
2017: Kimmel Scholar, Sidney Kimmel Foundation
2017: Suzanne Marie Haderle and Robert Vincent Haderle Endowed Chair, UCSF
2016-2018: UCSF Brain Tumor SPORE Career Development Program Award
2013: Martin D. Abeloff V Scholar Award, The V Foundation for Cancer Research
Transcription-associated processes cause DNA double-strand breaks and translocations in neural stem/progenitor cells
Schwer B, Wei PC, Chang AN, Kao J, Du Z, Meyers RM, Alt FW.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Feb 23;113(8):2258-63.
Sirt4 is a mitochondrial regulator of metabolism and lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster
Wood JG, Schwer B, Wickremesinghe PC, Hartnett DA, Burhenn L, Garcia M, Li M, Verdin E, Helfand SL.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Feb13;115(7):1564-1569.
Three classes of recurrent DNA break clusters in brain progenitors identified by 3D proximity-based break joining assay
Wei PC, Lee CS, Du Z, Schwer B, Zhang Y, Kao J, Zurita J, Alt FW.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Feb 20;115(8):1919-1924.