Regulation of Epithelial Growth in Development and Cancer

Tissue growth is a fundamental biological process that generates functional organs in development, and maintains them in the adulthood through continuous cycles of renewal and repair. It is a product of balanced contribution of many cellular processes, including proliferation, cell death, progenitor self-renewal and differentiation, that integrate cell extrinsic information and cell intrinsic potential. We study molecular and cellular mechanisms that are essential for tissue growth during development and tumorigenesis. Our goal is to identify genes and gene pathways that can be used as targets in cancer therapy with a particular focus on the regulators of the balance between stem cell renewal and differentiation.