Baylor Researcher Unravels the Secrets of a Novel DNA Enzyme Linked to Infertility and Certain Cancers

Written By Kathleen Otto

Michael A. Trakselis, PhD

Michael A. Trakselis, PhD, professor and director of graduate affairs for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry had to overcome 2 barriers to conduct his groundbreaking research on DNA enzyme. 

For 15 years, Trakselis has been interested in the MCM8/9 enzyme. Part of the minichromosome maintenance protein (MCM) family, MCM8/9 is directly linked to ovarian insufficiency, infertility and cancers including ovarian, testicular and colon cancers, yet little is known about how this enzyme works and its connection to disease. There was no understanding of the relationship between the structure and function of the enzyme.

Kathleen Otto
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