Grant: Operating Grant

Before a cell can grow and divide it must duplicate its DNA. In this way, when a cell divides to form two daughter cells, each of the daughters will receive the full complement of genes required for its survival. We are studying how cells determine when to duplicate their DNA, how they sense whether their DNA is fully duplicated, and how they prevent cell division until this duplication is complete. These control pathways are critical for normal cell growth, and are frequently subverted in cancerous cells. When these controls fail to function cells can grow and divide in inappropriate locations, and can ignore the signals that cause normal cells to cease dividing. We hope that by understanding these pathways we can learn how they misfunction in cancerous cells. Critical elements of these pathways represent targets for drugs to block inappropriate cell growth and markers for inappropriate growth, both of which might one day be used in treating cancers.