Rune Toftgård

Hedgehog signaling is a signaling pathway that is of central importance during the fetal development stage and in tissue regeneration and wound healing in the adult individual. Incorrect reactivation of hedgehog signaling has now proven to be an important contributing factor to several different forms of cancer such as skin cancer and cerebellar cancer. Hedgehog signaling is also of great importance in the control of normal stem cells and cancer-converted stem cells. The project examines basic mechanisms for how incorrect hedgehog signaling contributes to cancer emergence through studies of purified proteins, experimental animal models and patient samples. Of particular interest are hedgehog signaling in skin and breast cancer and cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. The basic knowledge of the signal path is also used to find new therapy strategies and to develop drug candidates. The results from the project will provide new and necessary basic knowledge of how hedgehog signaling goes all the way to three-dimensional structures for components and complexes in the signal path. An important issue that we hope to answer is the importance of hedgehog signaling in the tumor cells themselves versus signaling to surrounding support cells. By continuing studies and further development of the inhibitors of hedgehog signaling we have already identified and seeking new inhibitors, we hope to be able to take further steps in the process of developing new cancer drugs.

Hedgehog signaling is a signaling pathway that is of central importance during the fetal development stage and in tissue regeneration and wound healing in the adult individual. Incorrect reactivation of hedgehog signaling has now proven to be an important contributing factor to several different forms of cancer such as skin cancer and cerebellar cancer. Hedgehog signaling is also of great importance in the control of normal stem cells and cancer-converted stem cells. The project examines basic mechanisms for how incorrect hedgehog signaling contributes to cancer emergence through studies of purified proteins, experimental animal models and patient samples. Of particular interest are hedgehog signaling in skin and breast cancer and cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. The basic knowledge of the signal path is also used to find new therapy strategies and to develop drug candidates. The results from the project will provide new and necessary basic knowledge of how hedgehog signaling goes all the way to three-dimensional structures for components and complexes in the signal path. An important issue that we hope to answer is the importance of hedgehog signaling in the tumor cells themselves versus signaling to surrounding support cells. By continuing studies and further development of the inhibitors of hedgehog signaling we have already identified and seeking new inhibitors, we hope to be able to take further steps in the process of developing new cancer drugs.

Hedgehog signaling is a signaling pathway that is of central importance during the fetal development stage and in tissue regeneration and wound healing in the adult individual. Incorrect reactivation of hedgehog signaling has now proven to be an important contributing factor to several different forms of cancer such as skin cancer and cerebellar cancer. Hedgehog signaling is also of great importance in the control of normal stem cells and cancer-converted stem cells. The project examines basic mechanisms for how incorrect hedgehog signaling contributes to cancer emergence through studies of purified proteins, experimental animal models and patient samples. Of particular interest are hedgehog signaling in skin and breast cancer and cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. The basic knowledge of the signal path is also used to find new therapy strategies and to develop drug candidates. The results from the project will provide new and necessary basic knowledge of how hedgehog signaling goes all the way to three-dimensional structures for components and complexes in the signal path. An important issue that we hope to answer is the importance of hedgehog signaling in the tumor cells themselves versus signaling to surrounding support cells. By continuing studies and further development of the inhibitors of hedgehog signaling we have already identified and seeking new inhibitors, we hope to be able to take further steps in the process of developing new cancer drugs.