Research Interests
The work in our lab focuses on the identification of proteins involved in the metastasis of prostate cancer cells to bone and the progression of prostate cancer in bone. Prostate cancer has a propensity to metastasize to bone and induce blastic bone lesions. Bi-directional interactions between prostate cancer cells and osteoblasts likely play important roles in the progression of prostate cancer in bone. We have used protein fractionation and proteomics approaches to identify, in bone marrow samples from prostate cancer patients, factors that may play significant roles in the progression of prostate cancer cells in bone. Several factors have been identified as potential regulators of prostate cancer bone metastasis, and their functional roles in prostate cancer bone metastasis are being investigated. We are also studying adhesion molecules that mediate the metastasis of prostate cancer cells to bone. Because these adhesion molecules likely provide a link between the metastatic prostate cancer cells and the bone, our studies may lead to the development of these adhesion molecules as markers for detecting circulating prostate cancer cells that can potentially colonize in bone. In addition, these studies may lead to new strategies for preventing prostate cancer metastasis to bone.