Hacking cells: strategies to tamper with DNA

Our DNA sequence contains the instructions to generate all the proteins that build and regulate our bodies. Although it is relatively stable, it is not immutable, and this often leads to genetic disorders or eventually to cancer. By addressing particular regions of the DNA, we can suppress genes related to such diseases or induce cell death signals in mutated cells. In this seminar I will use examples from my research based on classical and hybrid QM/MM simulations to comment on different strategies to modify genetic expression using small molecules that bind DNA, as well as the role light can play in this process.