Affiliations

Professor, Molecular & Medical Pharmacology

Our group aims to advance the understanding of fundamental biological processes at the interface between metabolic and signal transduction networks in cancer, and to leverage this knowledge towards the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches that will improve patient care. The group has established the essential components of an integrated research program, including state-of-the-art instrumentation for both Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Mass Spectrometry assays, as well as an interdisciplinary team of investigators at UCLA and other institutions, with expertise in metabolism, cancer biology, signal transduction, structural biology, radiochemistry, molecular imaging, and medicinal chemistry. The potential of the program is demonstrated by recent work which uncovered a new role for the nucleoside salvage pathway in hematopoiesis, identified a metabolic kinase as a new therapeutic target in cancer, developed new PET probes for nucleotide metabolism, several of which have been successfully translated to the clinic, and discovered novel small molecule inhibitors of deoxycytidine kinase, from which a clinical candidate compound with low nanomolar affinity and oral bioavailability has emerged with potential indications in leukemia and selected solid tumors. We are currently focused on three research areas: 1) elucidating the interplay between mutant KRAS signaling, metabolism and immunomodulatory mechanisms in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; 2) identification and targeting of innate and adaptive resistance mechanisms to radioligand therapy in prostate cancer; 3) development of novel therapeutic approaches to modulate cancer metabolism.

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