Keywords: Tumor biology, tumor microenvironment
Inflammation may be a key trigger of carcinogenesis and tumor growth, and tumor cells show many physical and molecular features common during organ development. We have found that inflammatory mediators are highly expressed during normal development and play a significant role in organ development by promoting proliferation. Interleukin-1 induces proliferation during prostate development and inflammatory repair working through developmental mediators such as insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and transforming growth factors (TGFs). These results demonstrate clear interplay between inflammatory and developmental signaling networks. We now seek to understand how these signaling interactions promote epithelial proliferation and allow damaged cells to escape cell death in the inflamed prostate. Currently, my lab has three main specific projects:
Revised: Dec. 16, 2010
