Dirk Hockemeyer

Dirk Hockemeyer is a Professor of Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Department of BIO. His research focuses on the functions of telomeres and telomerase in tissue homeostasis, tumorigenesis, and aging. His work explores how telomeres, as repetitive DNA sequences at chromosome ends, distinguish natural chromosome ends from DNA breaks, and how telomerase generates telomeric DNA repeats to counteract terminal sequence loss. He utilizes genetic mouse models and human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to study telomere biology, including telomerase regulation, telomere shortening, and its implications in cancer and aging. His laboratory develops protocols for genetic modification of human PSCs to investigate telomere dynamics and related mechanisms.

Dirk Hockemeyer is a researcher at UC Berkeley whose work focuses on stem cell biology, genome editing, and telomere regulation. His research explores the genetic engineering of human pluripotent cells using tools like zinc-finger nucleases and TALE nucleases. He investigates the role of telomeres in cellular aging and disease, particularly in Parkinson's disease, by generating patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. His studies also examine the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in pluripotent stem cells and the impact of telomere dysfunction on cancer. Hockemeyer's work bridges developmental biology, genetics, and regenerative medicine.