Cancer & Tumor Biology

Kathie-Ann Joseph, MD is leading efforts to use the MMTV transgenic mouse, a murine model for breast cancer, to evaluate the role of RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products) in tumor growth and metastases. The lab has been working with soluble RAGE, an inhibitor of RAGE, as well as testing small molecular inhibitors of RAGE. We are also investigating combination therapy of sRAGE with standard chemotherapeutic agents and antiangiogenic agents in the MMTV mice to evaluate the synergy between sRAGE and chemotherapeutic and antiangiogenic drugs. In addition we are working on elucidating the mechanism by which RAGE activation modulates cell cycle regulation, looking specifically at S100 stimulated cyclin D1 activation.