I completed my PhD in 2019 at the University of Wollongong, under the supervision of D/Prof. van Oijen and Dr. Robinson. During my PhD, I developed single-molecule fluorescence imaging techniques to investigate the DNA damage response in E. coli, and I also gained training in cryo-EM.
In 2020, I joined Dr. Costa’s laboratory at The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK), where I further refined my cryo-EM skills. During this time, I was awarded both the EMBO and HFSP fellowships. My research focused on the unwinding mechanism of a eukaryotic origin of replication, as well as the development of advanced imaging methods to study biochemical reactions.
Building on the support of my HFSP fellowship, I returned to Australia in 2023 to join A/Prof. Deans’ laboratory. Here, I am continuing my research on the DNA damage response, using a combination of biochemical and biophysical techniques to uncover its underlying molecular mechanisms.
Key Achievements
2021 – Current HFSP Fellowship
2020 – 2021 EMBO Longterm Fellowship
Genome Stability
We investigate the process of DNA repair, with applications in treatment of genetic disorders, cancer diagnosis and cancer therapy.
Lab head: Associate Professor Andrew DeansHenrikus, S. S., Gross, M. H., Willhoft, O., Pühringer, T., Lewis, J. S., McClure, A. W., Greiwe, J. F., Palm, G., Nans, A., Diffley, J. F. X., & Costa, A. (2024). Unwinding of a eukaryotic origin of replication visualized by cryo-EM. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
Lewis, J. S., Gross, M. H., Sousa, J., Henrikus, S. S., Greiwe, J. F., Nans, A., Diffley, J. F. X., & Costa, A. (2022). Mechanism of Replication Origin Melting Nucleated by CMG Helicase Assembly. Nature.
Henrikus, S. S., Henry, C., McGrath, A. E., Jergic, S., McDonald, J. P., Hellmich, Y., Bruckbauer, S. T., Ritger, M. L., Cherry, M. E., Wood, E. A., Pham, P. T., Goodman, M. F., Woodgate, R., Cox, M. M., van Oijen, A. M., Ghodke, H., & Robinson, A. (2020). Single-molecule live-cell imaging reveals RecB-dependent function of DNA polymerase IV in double strand break repair. Nucleic Acids Research.
Walsh, E., Henrikus, S. S., Vaisman, A., Makiela-Dzbenska, K., Armstrong, T. J., Łazowski, K., McDonald, J. P., Goodman, M. F., van Oijen, A. M., Jonczyk, P., Fijalkowska, I. J., Robinson, A., Woodgate, R. (2019). Role of RNase H enzymes in maintaining genome stability in Escherichia coli expressing a steric-gate mutant of pol V. DNA Repair.
Henrikus, S. S., Henry, C., Ghodke, H., Wood, E. A., Mbele, N., Saxena, R., Basu, U., van Oijen, A. M., Cox, M. M., & Robinson, A. (2019). RecF and RecO have distinct localizations and functions in Escherichia coli. Nucleic Acids Research.
Henrikus, S. S., Wood, E. A., McDonald, J. P., Cox, M. M., Woodgate, R., Goodman, M. F., van Oijen, A. M., & Robinson, A. (2018). DNA polymerase IV primarily operates outside of DNA replication forks in Escherichia coli. PLOS Genetics.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4873-931X
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