Cell-cell adhesion in health and disease

We are interested in how cells stick to each other, what constitutes dynamic versus static adhesion at the molecular level, and how the state of cell-cell adhesion is interpreted by the nucleus to control gene expression and cellular differentiation. These processes are highly relevant to human health and disease because the proteins comprising the major macromolecular adhesion complex on cells (known as the cadherin/catenin complex) are associated with numerous diseases ranging from proliferative/invasive conditions like cancer and fibrosis to chronic conditions such as asthma. We collaborate with Drosophila geneticists, biochemists/ crystallographers, biophysicists and physician scientists with access to patient sample data sets for these investigations.