Research Information
Research Interests
My research interest focuses on identifying the cellular and molecular mechanisms in the pathophysiology of cancer and to exploit new pathways towards the goal of developing novel therapies. I have been especially interested in the role of Transforming Growth Factors-β (TGF-β) in murine and human Osteosarcoma (OS) and investigated the use of a TGF-β inhibitor as a new therapeutic approach for treating OS. OS is the most common bone sarcoma in pediatric and adolescent & young adult patients. It has been shown that TGF-b production is increased in the sera of OS patients. I have found that a small molecule inhibitor of TGF-β type 1 Receptor kinase, significantly reduced OS growth through tumor-intrinsic and extrinsic immune-related factors. Notably, I found that c-Myc regulation by TGF-beta is a novel therapeutic target in OS. Concomitantly, I found that TGF-β inhibitor increased immune effectors (e.g., T cells and NK cells) and inhibited immune suppressors (e.g., M2-like TAM, MDSC) in the OS tumor environment.