Berman Lab
Research in the Berman Laboratory
Our research focuses on the roles of embryonic patterning pathways in the development and pathophsyiology of urogenital organs. We hypothesize that these pathways are reactivated in adult tissues during injury repair and regeneration and that cancers arise in repairative cells that become unable to return to the quiescent state. To study how particular signal transduction pathways contribute to these processes, we study organogenesis and injury repair in model systems, but are always careful to verify our results in human tissue. We hope that this work will improve our understanding of the signals that promote cancer formation and growth and lead to enhanced therapeutic strategies for cancer.
Research projects ongoing in the laboratory address:
- Embryonic signaling and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in bladder injury repair and carcinogenesis
- Molecular basis of early prostate organogenesis
- Differentiation programs in epithelial cancer stem cells
- Novel targeted therapies for bladder cancer
- Prognostic and predictive significance of Hedgehog pathway activation in prostate cancer
