Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology,Duke University Medical Center

Our goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the evolution of normal cells into human cancers. In particular, we have focused on how cancer cells acquire the ability to divide indefinitely, or become immortal, a process thought to be critical for tumour development. Telomerase, the enzyme that elongates the ends of chromosomes, is central to this immortalization process. In most cancer cells telomerase is illegitimately activated, which in turn is proposed to endow these cells with an immortal phenotype.

To elucidate how telomerase is activated during tumourigenesis we cloned the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of telomerase and showed that the gene is up-regulated when cells aquire telomerase activity. Ectopic expression of this subunit also restores enzyme activity to cells and, in some cases, actually extends cellular lifespan. We are now testing whether activation of this gene predisposes human cells to become malignant as well as searching for other genes in the telomerase pathway. By better understanding how telomerase is turned on we hope to ultimately disrupt this process in an effort to treat human cancers.

Phone: (919) 684-9890 – Email: count004@mc.duke.edu
For more information, visit http://pharmacology.mc.duke.edu/counter.html