Research
Our primary research interests lie in improving therapeutic options by providing target driven therapy that is less toxic than conventional therapies and to help reduce mortality for patients with very aggressive forms of breast cancer.
The research in our lab is focused on defining the biological and molecular effects of signaling pathways in breast cancer, with emphasis on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) metastasis. In particular, we have a strong interest in the role of the MAPK-pathway and inhibitors of this pathway, with emphasis on determining the factors involved in the mechanism of resistance of MAPK-directed therapy. We use a combination of genomic, proteomic, and siRNA approaches to define the role of these kinases in TNBC tumor progression.
Our long-term goal is to develop a research program focused on (1) translating preclinical laboratory findings to novel investigator-initiated clinical trials and (2) identifying additional molecules to be targeted for therapy and biomarker development in TNBC.