Research Description

Research Area: Genomics and Proteomics

Research Specialty: Mucosal Proteomics

The lab is focused on the development of new mass spectrometry-based quantitative techniques which can be applied to problems of medical significance. The scientific interests include proteomic analysis of secreted mucus.

It has been hypothesized that mucus layer binds cytokines, growth factors, differentiation factors, mediators of inflammation and anti-bacterial and anti-viral peptides. Mucus layer with captured biologically active molecules might regulate the ability of immune, inflammatory and stroma cells to interact with cancer cells, might also incite inflammatory, repair or healing processes. Cancer cells, especially adenocarcinomas, express aberrant forms and amounts of mucins. The expression of distinct oligosaccharide structures confers on tumor cells an enormous range of potential ligands for interaction. Captured proteins might regulate growth properties of the tumor. Novel combinations and forms of mucins contribute to the survival of tumor cells and promote invasion and metastasis. Captured proteins might regulate the ability of immune, inflammatory and stromal cells to interact with the tumor.

Although we currently focused on a group of antimicrobial peptides called defensins, it is just beginning to unravel other functional aspects of the mucus layer using quantitative proteomics.