There is more than one way to organise a genome.
The MIMIC Lab investigates how evolution invents, replaces and rewires chromatin—and how proteins exploit DNA-binding systems by mimicking as DNA.
What we do
Every cell faces the same fundamental problem: its genome must be compacted and protected while remaining accessible for transcription, replication and repair. These constraints are universal, but the molecular solutions are remarkably diverse.
We use bacteria, archaea and their viruses to investigate how chromosome-organising systems evolve, how one system can replace another, and how molecular mimics interfere with proteins that act on DNA.
Natural diversity is our starting point. We combine large-scale phylogenomics, protein structure prediction and design with microbial genetics, biochemistry, proteomics and functional genomics. We identify unusual systems across the tree of life, then reconstruct and perturb them experimentally.
OUR ENVIRONMENT
The MIMIC Lab is led by Dr Antoine Hocher and based in the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge. We are supported by a Wellcome Career Development Award and benefit from Cambridge’s exceptional community in evolutionary biology, microbiology, genomics and protein science.
Interested in our science or in joining the lab? Explore our current opportunities or get in touch.
