In a study published in Science Advances, a team led by Prof. Zheng Ping from Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), collaborating with the Prof. Meng Feilong from Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, CAS, provided the first proof of concept demonstrating the region-specific regulations of double strand break (DSB) formation and repair in subtypes of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs). In this study, the researchers identified a regional regulator, Filia, which is predominantly expressed in mouse hippocampal NSPCs after birth, and regulates DNA DSB formation.