Cell Signaling

In order for a cell to be able to react to signals in its environment, there are receptor proteins that, when activated, transmit signals into the cell that in many cases lead to changes in enzyme activity and/or gene expression patterns. This process is called signal transduction and affects cellular behaviors such as cell division, survival or movement, both under normal and pathological conditions. More specifically, we are interested in how receptors of the receptor tyrosine kinase type are activated and transmit signals into the cell. For many years, we have focused our work specifically on how PDGFR and EGFR (both belonging to the receptor tyrosine kinase family) can activate and terminate signal transduction in normal and cancer cells. To investigate signal transduction, we use chemical biology and various types of genetic manipulation of normal or cancer cells grown in the laboratory. Our long-term goal is to understand at a molecular level the processes of how PDGFR and EGFR signal, and be able to use this knowledge to identify therapeutic target proteins or processes, as well as identify diagnostic predictors.