CALS Director, Joel Rothman, publishes paper in eLife

Dr. Rothman finds connections between the removal of damaged DNA in mitochondria, the “powerhouse of the cell,” and the “kill switch” in defective cells. As cells age and become damaged, errors in programmed cell death can cause it to mutate and become cancerous. Using the worm C. elegans, Dr. Rothman’s team found enzymes involved in both cellular mechanisms, potentially shedding light into research involved in lengthening the human health span.