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Area of Expertise: Roles of
Polo-like kinase 1 and its interacting proteins
in cell proliferation and carcinogenesis
Current therapeutic strategies for
cancer patients have shown only moderate success
in reducing incidence and mortality rates and
improving survival, thus a new class of more
specific treatments for various cancers is
greatly needed. A major goal in cancer research
is to understand the molecular events that are
associated with this disease to aid in the
development of such novel therapies. The
long-term goal of my research program is to
understand the molecular mechanisms that cause
cancer and to use this information to provide
new avenues for cancer therapy. My work focuses
on an enzyme known as Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1),
which plays a central role in controlling cell
division and is known to exist at abnormally
high levels in many types of human cancers. Compounds that inhibit Plk1 are currently viewed
as promising new anti-cancer drugs. To fully
exploit Plk1 as a potential anticancer drug
target, it is essential to fully understand its
regulation and function, particularly in the
context of the cancer cell. We have made a
series of contributions to understanding both
Plk1 regulation and its function and the
lab is in a position to make crucial
contributions in understanding how Plk1 can be
exploited as a target for drugs to treat cancer
and other important human diseases. The lab is
currently using a combination of biochemistry,
cell biology and mouse genetics to dissect the
roles of Plk1 in initiation, progression and
metastasis of prostate and pancreatic cancer.