Anne Vojtek, Ph.D.

Our major focus is the biochemical and molecular dissection of signal transduction pathways under normal physiological conditions and in human disease. Aberrant regulation of signaling pathways is a hallmark of many human diseases, including cancer. In one project in the lab, we are studying the signaling pathways activated by human oncogenes, including K-Ras. In a second project, we are studying signaling pathways that regulate neural regeneration and plasticity, with applications to stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. Our studies are leading to new insights into how signals are transmitted through receptor-mediated pathways to regulate cell growth and differentiation. These studies are also leading to the identification of potential new therapeutic targets for treatment of human diseases.

We employ a variety of biochemical and molecular genetic approaches, such as high throughput screening methods to identify chemical compounds that block specific steps of signaling pathways as well as RNA interference and CRISPR methods to analyze gene function. Our long term objective is a comprehensive and integrated understanding of signaling pathways in human disease with the goal of identifying intervention points for new directions for medical research.