Dr. Maxwell’s laboratory focuses on understanding mechanisms of cancer development in patients with inherited mutations in DNA repair genes, specifically breast cancer development in patients with inherited mutations in TP53 and prostate cancer development in patients with inherited BRCA2 mutations. Dr. Maxwell’s research is supported by her clinical practice and associated biobanking protocols at both Penn and within the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Network. We use our biobanking infrastructure to collect tissues to understand the early steps in cancer development in TP53, BRCA2, and BRCA1 carriers. For example, the lab uses these resources to understand the interaction of BRCA2 and the androgen receptor and how this may contribute to more aggressive prostate cancer, as well as understanding the defects in tumor suppression conferred by specific TP53 variants. The lab also leverages the resources of the Penn Medicine Biobank, the VA Million Veterans Program (MVP) and the VA National Precision Oncology Program (NPOP). In this work, we analyze large scale genetic data linked to rich clinical phenotyping data to delineate the lifetime cancer risks and outcomes of patients with cancer risk gene variants, including those in BRCA1 and BRCA2.  Beyond basic mechanistic work, the laboratory contributes to the body of clinical research that informs the clinical care of patients with LFS and BRCA1/2 with a focus on defining cancer risks and improving screening.