Infectious pathogens cause 15–20% of human cancers worldwide. Viruses have evolved many strategies to exploit cellular mechanisms to their advantage upon infection. For example, viruses can manipulate elements of the cellular response to DNA damage, allowing them to evade the host’s immune system and facilitate their replication. This complex interplay between viruses and host cells has critical consequences for viral replication and host genome integrity. Therefore, our research program aims to understand the molecular events that lead to genomic instability and drive cancer progression in healthy and virus infected cells.