Our lab studies the signaling pathways in endothelial cells as they relate to normal blood vessel development and physiology, as well as the role of those pathways in disease pathologies that involve angiogenesis such as cancer, diabetes and retinopathy. We utilize multiple animal models to manipulate gene expression to our study gene function, in particular we have an interest in the cytokine regulation and function of Akt signaling pathway.
Adini I, Rabinowitz I,Sun JF, Prendergast GP, and Benjamin LE. RhoB regulates Akt trafficking and stage-specific endothelial cell survival during vascular development. Genes Dev. 2003 17:2721-2732.
Bergers G, Benjamin LE. Tumorigenesis and the angiogenic switch. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003 Jun;3(6):401-10.
Phung TL, Ziv K, Dabydeen D, Eyiah-Mensah G, Riveros M, Perruzzi C, Sun J-F, Monahan-Early R, Shiojima I, Nagy JA, Lin MI, Walsh K, Dvorak AM, Briscoe DM, Neeman M, Sessa WC, Dvorak HF, Benjamin LE. Pathological angiogenesis is induced by sustained Akt signaling and inhbited by rapamycin. Cancer Cell. 2006 Aug;10(2):159-70.
Sun JF, Phung T, Shiojima I, Felske T, Feng D, Kornaga T, Dor T, Adini, I. Dvorak AM,, Walsh K, and Benjamin LE. Microvascular patterning is controlled by fine-tuning the Akt signal. Track II, PNAS 2005. Jan 4;102(1):128-33.
Xue Q, Hopkins B, Perruzzi C, Udayakumar D, Sherris D, Benjamin LE. Palomid 529, a novel small molecule drug, is a TOR1/TOR2 inhibitor that reduces tumor growth, tumor angiogenesis and vascular permeability. Cancer Research. 2008. In press.
External Recognition:
charter member of TME (Tumor Microenvironment) study section for the NCI
member of the executive committee of the BIDMC Center for Vascular Biology
Co-Chair of the Boston Angiogenesis Meeting 2005
Speaker at the 2005 Gordon Conference in Angiogenesis and Microcirculation
Major Collaborative Activities:
We participate in an program project grant on Tumor Angiogenesis consisting of PI's from the BIDMC and other Boston Institutions. In addition we actively participate in the newly-formed Program in Vascular Biology which is intended to foster interactions amonst BIDMC research relating to vascular biology.
