The Gao lab utilizes structural biology techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication, repair and recombination. We employ cryo-electron microscopy, x-ray crystallography, and various biochemical and biophysical approaches to characterize how enzymes and motors work together to accomplish these elaborate processes, and how errors are generated during DNA replication and repair. The molecular mechanisms would help understand the origins of diseases-correlated abnormalities in DNA and identify paths and targets for disease treatment, in particular cancer.