The initials BRCA2 may be best known for a gene associated with many cases of breast cancer, and the protein encoded by the BRCA2 gene is critical to repairing breaks in DNA. The breakdown of this interaction is a hallmark of many cancers. Now scientists have determined the structure of a complex of two proteins — BRCA2 together with MEILB2 — that allows repairs to happen efficiently in cells undergoing cell-splitting, called meiosis. Their results have major implications for cancer and infertility.