The Aaronson laboratory is involved in cancer gene discovery and function with the goal of identifying novel targets for therapy. Topics currently under investigation include growth factors and receptors, Wnt and Hippo developmental pathways deregulated in cancer as well as the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Past discoveries include ErbB2, initially identified by his lab as an amplified erbB related gene in a primary human breast cancer. The lab has also discovered and characterized genes for a number of other growth factor signaling molecules activated as oncogenes in human malignancies. This research has contributed to novel cancer drugs including Herceptin, which targets ERBB2, and KGF/FGF7, which became Kepivance, for treatment of cancer therapy associated mucositis. Other discoveries including erbB3, PDGFR alpha, and HGF as the ligand for MET, have also led to agents currently in clinical development as cancer therapeutics. More recent accomplishments include identification of a Wnt autocrine mechanism that contributes to the transformed phenotypes of several major human tumors and novel homeostatic stress responses involving the p53 tumor suppressor gene.

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