The laboratory is mainly focused on two projects related to cancer. The laboratory is actively pursuing the translation of research from the laboratory to the clinic by pursuing research on pathological angiogenesis associated with cancer.
Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from existing blood vessels.
For a tumor to expand, angiogenesis must occur. A corollary to this is that tumors cannot expand and metastasize if angiogenesis is blocked. We have demonstrated that PAF is an important lipid second messenger signaling molecule involved in the signal transduction cascades of several proangiogenic growth factors, including bFGF, VEGF, TNF-alpha, HGF, and others. Tumor cells produce these growth factors and, when the growth factors bind to the vein endothelial cells, the endothelial cells proliferate and migrate toward the tumor forming a new blood vessel. We have demonstrated that each of these growth factors will induce the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human vein endothelial cells, and that three specific PAF receptor antagonists will inhibit these responses.