My lab studies a conserved insulin-like growth factor (IGF)/PTEN/PI 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/FoxO signaling pathway using the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans and mice as model systems. The IGF/PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway is one of the most commonly dysregulated signaling pathways in human cancer. Therefore, understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of both its normal function as well as its dysfunction in cancer will lead to new approaches to prevent, diagnose, and manage a wide variety of human cancers.

Our research strategy involves leveraging the C. elegans experimental tool kit to reveal insights into conserved aspects of IGF/PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway regulation and function, and exploring the impact of these insights on disease pathogenesis in mouse models of cancer and other human diseases. As IGF signaling plays an important and conserved role in controlling aging in animals, one prominent aspect of our work is to use our understanding of how this pathway influences longevity in C. elegans to elucidate the role that aging plays in the pathogenesis of cancer and other diseases that are commonly seen in elderly humans.