Karin Bornkamm

Karin Bornkamm has made major contributions to understanding EZH2, the catalytic subunit of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2, as a cancer target, demonstrating that EZH2 gain-of-function mutations in lymphoma create dependency on H3K27 trimethylation for oncogenic gene silencing. Her research revealed the synthetic lethal relationship between SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex mutations and EZH2 dependency, identifying a biomarker-driven patient selection strategy for EZH2 inhibitors. She contributed to preclinical studies supporting the approval of tazemetostat for epithelioid sarcoma and follicular lymphoma. Her work on EZH2 in solid tumors has expanded indications for polycomb-targeting therapy beyond hematological malignancies.