The major research objective of this laboratory is to understand growth factor and hormone signal transduction pathways and to characterize defects in these pathways that lead to human diseases such as cancers, diabetes and autoimmunity. More than 10 years ago work in this laboratory led to the discovery of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. Subsequent research from this laboratory and other laboratories revealed that PI3K activation is critical for oncogene-mediated cell transformation, as well as for insulin-dependent stimulation of glucose uptake and metabolism.
Christofk HR, Vander Heiden MG, Wu N, Asara JM, Cantley LC. Pyruvate kinase M2 is a phosphotyrosine-binding protein. Nature. 2008 Mar 13;452(7184):181-6.
Christofk HR, Vander Heiden MG, Harris MH, Ramanathan A, Gerszten RE, Wei R, Fleming MD, Schreiber SL, Cantley LC. The M2 splice isoform of pyruvate kinase is important for cancer metabolism and tumour growth. Nature. 2008 Mar 13;452(7184):230-3.
Yuan TL, Choi HS, Matsui A, Benes C, Lifshits E, Luo J, Frangioni JV, Cantley LC. Class 1A PI3K regulates vessel integrity during development and tumorigenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Jul 15;105(28):9739-44. Epub 2008 Jul 10.
Engelman JA, Luo J, Cantley LC, The evolution of phosphatatidylinositol 3-kinases as regulators of growth and metabolism. Nat Rev Genet.2006 Aug; 7(8)606-19
Engelman JA, et al. MET amplification leads to gefitinib resistance in lung cancer by activating ERBB3 signaling. Science. 2007 May 18;316(5827):1039-43. Epub 2007 Apr 26.
External Recognition:
Honors:
1998 ASBMB Avanti Award for Lipid Research
1999 American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2000 Heinrich Weiland Preis for Lipid Research, Munich Germany
2001 National Academy of Sciences
2002 Caledonian Prize of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
2005 Pezcoller Foundation - Americian Association of Cancer Research International Award for Cancer Research
NCI Program Project - The Role of PTEN and PI3K in Prostate Cancer (DF/HCC)
NCI Program Project - Pancreatic Cancer (DF/HCC)
NCI Program Project - Hamartoma Syndromes (DF/HCC)
NCI SPORE in Prostate Cancer (DF/HCC)
NCI SPORE in G.I. Cancers (DF/HCC)
NCI SPORE in Lung Cancer (DF/HCC)
Takeda Pharmaceuticals/BIDMC collaboration in Obesity and Diabetes
