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Research Description:
The overall objective of my laboratory is to understand how
apoptosis influences the development of skin cancer. There is considerable
evidence that resistance to apoptosis is a common feature of melanoma and
represents a significant obstacle in treating metastatic disease. There is also
evidence that dysfunctional apoptosis is involved in the development of
ultraviolet-induced nonmelanoma skin cancers. Our initial work has focused on
Survivin, a newly recognized inhibitor of apoptosis, as a model paradigm to
address the role of apoptosis in both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer.
Preliminary studies suggest that Survivin expression is an early and important
step in the development of most skin cancers and may represent a novel
therapeutic target. Ongoing studies are geared towards elucidating how Survivin
protects cancer cells from apoptosis and employing animal models to understand how
its expression promotes tumor development and progression.
Research Keywords:
Apoptosis, Keratinocyte, Melanoma, Melanocyte, Mouse Models of Cancer, Skin Cancer, Survivin