Research Interests

• Growth is the process whereby cells accumulate mass, which determines the sizes of cells, organs and organisms. Deregulation of growth is directly linked to human diseases from cancer to aging. Specifically, our current focus is on the target of rapamycin (TOR) protein, a highly conserved phosphatidylinositol kinase-related kinase (PIKK) and a central controller of cell growth. We are interested in dissecting the basic signal transduction mechanisms by TOR and in understanding the mechanisms by which cancer cells resist rapamycin and rapamycin analogs. We hope to ultimately develop more effective therapeutics against human cancer.