Grant: Operating Grant

Our research program involves the study of apoptosis and its relevance to cancer progression and therapy. Apoptosis is a normal process by which cells initiate a genetic program to commit cell death. Apoptosis can contribute to the development of many diseases, including AIDS, diabetes, blindness, muscular dystrophy, neurodegeneration and cancer. Inducing cancer cells to die is a major goal of cancer therapy. However, cancer cells often become resistant to therapy and apoptosis, eventually leading to patient relapse and morbidity. We have identified a family of several highly conserved mammalian genes called the IAPs, for Inhibitors of Apoptosis, which are now well-established oncogenes, biomarkers and cancer drug targets. A major focus of our research is to study the regulation of the IAPs and their protein products, and to investigate their role in apoptosis in normal and cancer cells. We plan to study the specific cellular signaling pathways that affect IAP expression and function, as well as the pathways affected by small molecule drugs that antagonize IAP function. We will investigate how the IAPs interact with one another and with other cellular partners, as well as with IAP antagonists. The study of IAP mechanism of action will allow us to gain a better understanding of how these proteins promote cancer and induce resistance to therapy. In addition, our studies will allow for the design, refinement and implementation of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of cancer.