I have been studying role for GLI family oncogenes and associated genes in cancers and multidrug resistance. Amplification and/or abnormal activation GLI1, the final effector of Sonic hedgehog signal, is observed in a wide variety of cancers (approximately 30% of solid tumors). However, the mechanism of GLI1 in the development of human cancers and multidrug resistance still remains unclear.

I have been studying the mechanism of action of GLI1 and its role for oncogenesis and multidrug resistance by identifying the direct binding partners and immediate downstream targets. Hedgehog-GLI signaling pathway is activated in some rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) and Ewing sarcomas that are resistant to chemotherapy. I use Hedgehog-GLI signaling pathway inhibitors and conventional chemotherapy drugs together for the gene-specific and synergistic inhibition of drug-resistance in these tumors. These projects will be important in developing novel strategies to prevent or treat the cancers in a target specific manner.