Biography
Dr. Alexandra Nail is a molecular toxicologist and cancer biologist whose research focuses on understanding how chronic exposure to toxic heavy metals promotes cancer initiation, progression, and treatment vulnerability. She earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Kentucky and subsequently completed postdoctoral training in translational oncology and environmental health sciences. Her research has examined the molecular mechanisms by which environmental exposure to inorganic arsenic and cadmium disrupt DNA damage signaling and repair responses and genomic instability.
Dr. Nail joined the University of Louisville faculty in 2026 as an Assistant Professor in the Brown Cancer Center and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Her independent research program investigates how heavy metals interfere with zinc-dependent DNA repair proteins, mimicking genetic deficiencies known to drive cancer development and progression. Her laboratory integrates molecular biology, biochemistry, high-throughput sequencing, and in vivo models to determine how chronic heavy metal exposure produces persistant defects in DNA repair. A current major focus is understanding how cadmium exposure contributes to breast cancer development by creating homologous recombination deficiency.
Dr. Nail’s research has been supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences through a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, as well as by the American Cancer Society. Her work has received recognition through national and regional awards in toxicology and cancer research. Ultimately, her research seeks to define mechanistic links among environmental exposures, DNA repair dysfunction, and cancer to advance cancer prevention, early detection, and precision oncology.
Research Interests
The Nail laboratory integrates molecular toxicology, cancer biology, biochemistry, and multi-omics approaches to investigate how long-term cadmium exposure promotes cancer initiation and progression. The laboratory focuses on how cadmium disrupts DNA damage signaling and repair, alters cellular metal homeostasis, and drives genomic instability and malignant transformation. Current projects aim to identify exposure-associated molecular signatures, mutational patterns, and therapeutic vulnerabilities.
Degrees and Certifications
University of Kentucky, 2013-2019
Morehead State University, 2011-2013
Morehead State University, 2006-2011
Marquis Who's Who 7-2025