Andrew Koff, PhD

Enlarge Image Figure 1 These images reflect the core competencies of the Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation.

The Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation has combined biochemical, molecular, cellular, and genetic approaches to investigate the roles of CDK inhibitors in differentiation, development, and cancer biology. An additional major focus of the laboratory is directed towards understanding how these gene products are regulated to accomplish these roles. CDK inhibitors are one part of the control circuitry that regulates whether cells commit to the cell cycle and replicate their DNA or exit the cell cycle to differentiate. Inappropriate regulation of this decision has consequences for development and the progression of cancer. (Some of the contributions that our group has made while studying one of these molecules, p27Kip1, are shown in figure 1.) Given the breadth of these past studies, students and post-doctoral fellows can choose amongst a variety of approaches to address the questions they are interested in pursuing. Current personnel are focused on integrating the core techniques of our laboratory with new technologies and approaches, including genome wide screens and network analysis to understand how different signaling pathways interact to regulate CDK inhibitors and cyclin-dependent kinases in glioma and liposarcoma, two tumor types that currently have limited therapeutic options.