My areas of research interest include drug development and signaling with focus on small GTPases. My research is both basic and translational.
My research efforts encompass several methodologies, including protein crystallography, biophysical and biochemical studies, cellular functional assays, and ultimately, identifying small molecule compounds that bind to and modulate GTPase signaling in in vivo models of cancer.
Rac GTPases are key regulators of cell growth. By reorganizing the actin cytoskeleton in response to extracellular cues, Rac GTPases play a key role in cancer cell metastasis. My lab's goal is to understand the regulation of Rac and its role in cancer. More specifically, my work aims to find ways to inhibit its hyperactivation in leukemia.
One of my lab’s groundbreaking discoveries is the identification of a small molecule inhibitor of Vav3, a Rac activator. Our research aims to unravel the mechanism of action of the Vav3-inhibitor. In addition, our small molecule technology has been submitted to the US Patent Office.
My research has been published in PLoS ONE, Leukemia, JCI Insight, and Oncogene: Including Oncogene Reviews. I have been a researcher for more than 20 years and began working at Cincinnati Children’s in 2010.