Michela Di Virgilio

Michela Di Virgilio is the head of the research group "Genome Diversification & Integrity" at the Max Delbrück Center and a tenured professor at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. She joined the Max Delbrück Center in 2014 from Rockefeller University in New York. Her work explores how B cells—the immune cells that produce antibodies—break, edit, and repair their DNA and how this orchestration of events creates a wide diversity of antibodies that protect us from the pathogens we encounter throughout our lives. DNA repair is a fundamental process occurring in all cell types, and defects in DNA double-strand break repair have been associated with over 20 different diseases in humans, including increased susceptibility to cancer, developmental and neurological disorders, and immunodeficiencies. Understanding how our cells maintain the delicate balance between flexibility and preserving genetic integrity will provide crucial insights for treating and ultimately preventing these diseases.