Contact information
benjamin.schuster-boeckler@ludwig.ox.ac.uk
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8892-5133
He/Him
Colleges
Benjamin Schuster-Böckler
Associate Professor
I head the computational genomics group at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
My group studies the systemic genomic changes that accompany the formation of cancer. For example, in previous work I established that epigenetic histone modifications have a profound influence on the mutational landscape in cancer cells. More recently, my lab analysed the influence of different DNA modifications on mutability, and described how DNA replication changes the distribution of mutations in cancer genomes. We continue to work on methods to identify new carcinogenic mechanisms and find ways to improve cancer prevention.
More recently, my group was closely involved in the development of TAPS, a novel method for measuring epigenetic DNA methylation at base resolution. This technology can be applied to tumour samples to better understand cancer-associated genetic and epigenetic changes. It is also highly suited for diagnostic applications in the context of circulating cell-free DNA. We are involved in numerous clinical trials, e.g. in oesophageal and liver cancer, to test how TAPS can improve early cancer detection and treatment stratification.
Key publications
Human DNA polymerase ε is a source of C>T mutations at CpG dinucleotides
Journal article
Tomkova M. et al, (2024), Nature Genetics, 56, 2506 - 2516
Bisulfite-free direct detection of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine at base resolution.
Journal article
Liu Y. et al, (2019), Nature biotechnology, 37, 424 - 429
Mutational signature distribution varies with DNA replication timing and strand asymmetry
Journal article
Tomkova M. et al, (2018), Genome Biology, 19
5-hydroxymethylcytosine marks regions with reduced mutation frequency in human DNA
Journal article
Tomkova M. et al, (2016), eLife, 5
Chromatin organization is a major influence on regional mutation rates in human cancer cells
Journal article
Schuster-Böckler B. and Lehner B., (2012), Nature, 488, 504 - 507
Recent publications
diposity distribution and risks of 12 obesity-related cancers: a Mendelian randomization analysis.
Journal article
Hazelwood E. et al, (2025), Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 117, 2621 - 2642
Platelets sequester extracellular DNA, capturing tumor-derived and free fetal DNA
Journal article
Murphy L. et al, (2025), Science, 389
Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma cells in co-culture with cerebellar organoids converge towards in vivo malignant cell states
Journal article
van Essen MJ. et al, (2025), Neuro-Oncology Advances, 7
Gestational trophoblastic disease: understanding the molecular mechanisms of placental tumours.
Journal article
Nicheperovich A. et al, (2025), Disease models & mechanisms, 18