Research Interests:

Physiological and Pathological Roles of the Unfolded Protein Response

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a collective term for signaling cascades activated in response to accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The molecular details of this pathway have been extensively characterized in the last decade, however the involvement of the UPR in disease pathogenesis is only beginning to be appreciated. We focus on two major questions. i) How the UPR communicates with other signaling pathways? ii) Can pharmacological manipulation of the UPR be used as disease modulators? We focus on cancer, inflammation and drug adverse reactions.

Promoting the secretory capabilities of mammalian cells

A large number of biological drugs are manufactured in mammalian cells, primarily Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO). CHO cells are unique in their ability to grow to large densities in chemically defined media. Improving the yields of protein secretion from CHO cells is a major interest of the biopharmaceutical industry. Our lab is developing technologies for improved bioproduction by translating the biology of plasma cells to CHO.