Irwin Gelman

Research Overview:

My research interests revolve around understanding how tyrosine kinases regulate signaling and cytoskeletal pathways under conditions of cell adhesion and motility, response to growth factors, and oncogenic transformation. The research projects in my lab have a special focus for biologies of cancer recurrence and/or metastasis (cell culture and mouse models), with a special emphasis on identifying and characterizing genes that regulate the aggressive behavior of cancer cells. Currently, I have several active research programs in my laboratory:

1. the role of the SSeCKS/Gravin/AKAP12 kinase scaffolding protein in the suppression of prostate cancer metastasis through the inhibition of neovascularization;
2. control of cytoskeletal architecture and mitogenic signaling by Src-family kinases and the focal adhesion kinase, FAK, in normal and cancer cells;
3. identification and characterization of novel FAK kinase substrates and FAK-dependent Src substrates that control cytoskeletal turnover, motility, and cell survival;
4. activation of androgen receptor transcriptional activity by Src-family and Ack1 tyrosine kinases in castration-recurrent prostate cancer;
5. the identification of novel metastasis-suppressor and -activator genes in breast and prostate cancer using shRNA and CRISPR-Cas9 genetic screens;
6. the identification of novel eQTL-associated enhancers and binding factors that drive breast cancer malignancy.

These projects encompass several major collaborations within Roswell Park and with outside researchers. The translational impact of these projects is in their use of clinical tissue, genomic and medical informatics data to stratify basic scientific findings with predictive clinical outcomes or to identify new therapeutic targets of advanced, metastatic cancers.