The Max Wilkinson Lab
Research
Genetic information typically flows in one direction: from DNA to RNA to protein. Our lab is fascinated by reverse transcription, where this flow is flipped on its head, allowing RNA to be rewritten back into DNA. Reverse transcriptases are famously used by retroviruses like HIV to invade genomes, but it turns out they are used by more than just genomic parasites.
In the Wilkinson lab, we explore the frontiers of RNA biology by discovering new functions for reverse transcription. We already recognise that fundamental phenomena in molecular biology like splicing and telomere extension evolved from this ancient process, and we want to know: What else is out there? Using a combination of biochemistry, microbiology, and structural biology, we aim to discover new biological functions and harness them for applications in genomic medicine.
More information about our research can be found at wilkinsonlab.bio.
Research Projects
People
Max Wilkinson, PhD
- The Wilkinson laboratory studies reverse transcriptases and retrotransposons using biochemistry, structural biology, and genome mining.
- BSc (Hons) Biochemistry, University of Otago (2015)
- PhD, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge (2019)
- Postdoc, Broad Institute / Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2025)
- wilkinm@mskcc.org
- Email Address
Achievements
- Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellowship (2022-2024)
- RNA Society/Scaringe Young Scientist Award (2019)
- Max Perutz Student Prize (MRC LMB) (2018)
- Cambridge-Rutherford Memorial Scholarship (Royal Society of New Zealand) (2015 – 2017)