Research Interests:
Dr. Courtneidge’s laboratory has studied the Src family of protein tyrosine kinases for a number of years. Src was the first oncogene to be discovered, and the first protein tyrosine kinase, and dissecting the mechanisms of Src transformation, regulation, substrate selection and function has proved to be a powerful research paradigm to understand tumorigenesis. In addition, since Src is frequently up-regulated and hyperactivated in human cancers, particularly of the breast and colon, such research is of direct relevance to human disease. Current research in the laboratory focuses on three main areas. The first involves defining how Src and its substrate, Tks5, drive the formation of podosomes (sometimes called invadopodia), which are protrusive membrane structures involved in extracellular matrix degradation. Since podosomes are found in metastatic human cancer cells, the second focus is to identify and validate molecular targets in podosomes, in order to define novel therapeutic points of intervention for the treatment of metastatic disease. The third research area involves defining in molecular detail the role of Src in mitogenic signaling pathways, particularly in breast cancer cells responding to estrogen.
Track(s):
Molecular Pathology
BMS Focus Areas:
Cancer Biology
Structural Chemical Biology
Developmental Biology
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