Damon Meyer

r-damonCurrent E-mail: damon.meyer@cnsu.edu

Analyzing the Mechanism of Alternative End-Joining.

I have developed a novel assay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to analyze the genetic dependence of alternative end-joining, which uses short segments of microhomologies to repair a double-strand break. Using a variety of approaches, which includes classical genetics, molecular genetics and molecular biology, I hope to gain insight into the mechanism of DNA repair that uses the alternative end-joining pathway.

EDUCATION
2001-2008 Ph.D. Graduate School (Biology), City of Hope Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Duarte, CA. Thesis advisor: Adam M. Bailis
1999-2001 B.S. (Genetics), University of California, Davis
1996-1999 A.A. (Biology), Hartnell Community College, Salinas

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2001 Teaching Assistant, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, CA. 1 quarter of Biochemistry lecture w/lab 1 quarter of Genetics lecture w/lab
2001-2007 Graduate Student Researcher, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Beckman Research Institute – City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA.
2007 Honors and AP Biology Instructor, Advance Academy, Arcadia, CA
2008 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Molecular Biology, Beckman Research Institute-City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA
2009 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Microbiology, College of Biological Sciences at University of California at Davis, Davis, CA

HONORS AND AWARDS
2009 Postdoc fellowship from California Breast Cancer Research Program.
2009 UC Davis Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Oncogenic Signals and Chromosome Biology, UC Davis Cancer Center, University of California at Davis.
2006 Rachmiel Levine student scientific communication award for outstanding oral presentation, City of Hope Research Staff Organization Advance, Lake Arrowhead, CA.
2005 Rachmiel Levine student scientific communication award for outstanding poster presentation, City of Hope Research Staff Organization Advance, Lake Arrowhead, CA.
2004-2007 Department of Defense (DOD), Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), Pre-Doctoral Training Grant: Examining the role of Msh2 and Mre11 in telomere rescue, W81XWH-04-1-0407.
2002-2004 Trainee, Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Training Program at City of Hope National Medical Center & Beckman Research Institute
2001 Department Citation for Outstanding Performance in Genetics, University of California, Davis, CA.
2001 Graduated with High Honors, University of California, Davis,CA.

PUBLICATIONS
D. H. Meyer and A. M. Bailis. 2007 Telomere Dysfunction Drives Increased Mutation by Error-Prone Polymerase z in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics 175(3) 1533-37.

D. H. Meyer and A.M. Bailis. 2008 Mating Type Influences Chromosome Loss and Replicative Senescence in Telomerase Deficient Budding Yeast by Dnl4-dependent Telomere Fusion. Molecular Microbiology 69(5) 1246-54.

D. H. Meyer and A.M. Bailis. 2008 Telomerase Deficiency Affects the Formation of Chromosomal Translocations by Homologous Recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. PLoS ONE 3(10): e3318. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003318

D.H. Meyer, Fu B., Heyer WD. DNA polymerases δ and λ cooperate in repairing double-strand breaks by microhomology-mediated end-joining in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, PNAS 2015, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1507833112 [PDF]

SCIENTIFIC AND PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
2000 Elected to Golden Key International Honour Society
2001 Elected to Phi Sigma Biological Honor Society

CV
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