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Assistant Professor

Education

  • PhD: Biochemistry & Biophysics – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
  • Bachelor of Science: Biochemistry & Biophysics – State University of New York, Plattsburgh, NY

Research

Our group studies the signaling and structural mechanisms employed by RAS superfamily GTPases to regulate critical cellular processes (e.g., proliferation, motility, morphogenesis and apoptosis) and how these GTPases act to promote human malignancies when deregulated. We use a combination of biochemical, biophysical, structural and cell biological approaches to fully elucidate these mechanisms. We are especially focused on the RAS (HRAS, KRAS, NRAS) and RHO (RHOA, RAC1, CDC42) GTPase families. The activities of these GTPases and their accessory proteins are altered in over 30% of all human cancers, and are also altered in several rare developmental disorders termed “RASopathies”. Our ultimate goal is to not only understand the unique signaling properties of RAS and RHO GTPases, but to discover how to manipulate these signaling pathways pharmacologically to treat cancer and other diseases.

Awards and Honors

  • 1994 Special Recognition Award, Glaxo Inc., RTP, NC
  • 1996-1998 Cancer Cell Biology Training Program Predoctoral Fellowship, UNC Chapel Hill
  • 2001 Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Graduate Fellow Award, UNC Chapel Hill
  • 2002-2004 Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 2004-2005 NCI GI Cancer SPORE Developmental Research Award.
  • 2005-2007 American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship

Publications

Find publications on PubMed