Education:

• National Taiwan University, B.S., 1986
• Harvard University Cell and Developmental Biology, Ph.D., 1993

Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
Research Interests:

Cell-cell and cell-matrix junctions, Cancer, Animal models for human diseases

Research Summary:

Our overall research interests are to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie the structure and function of focal adhesions. Focal adhesions are integrin-mediated junctions that attach a variety of different cell types to their underlying substratum. They are signal transduction organelles and play a major role in diverse biological processes, including cell growth, attachment, migration, death, polarization, and differentiation. As such, focal adhesion dysfunction is known to have profound repercussions in embryogenesis, tissue development and repair, as well as in many pathological conditions including various forms of cancer.

Lab Members:

Peng Sun, Ph.D., Irene Shih, Ph.D., Gauri Khandekar, Ph.D., Shiao Ya Hong, Ph.D.

PubMed listing