Lab Mission
Our lab is interested in understanding how signaling pathways cooperate to maintain cell and tissue homeostasis throughout normal development, under stress conditions and how their function can be derailed during tumor formation. We study how signaling specificity is achieved so that diverse signals are interpreted properly and translated e.g. via changes in target gene expression into sensible and biologically meaningful responses.
Our research projects attempt to dissect the role of stress signaling pathways and downstream transcription factors in the regulation of growth and cell migration. While both processes are elaborately controlled spatially and temporarily during development, aberrant growth and cell motility are hallmarks of malignant tumors. To address these questions we utilize the wide array of genetic tools available in Drosophila melanogaster in combination with molecular and cell biology techniques, biochemistry and genomic approaches.
