Principal Investigator Shiladitya Sengupta
Hepatocyte growth factor/Scatter factor (HGF/SF) and its receptor, MET, have been implicated in tumorigenesis and in tumor survival. In collaboration with Dr. Ermanno Gherardi (discovered Scatter Factor) of the MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England, we have demonstrated that HGF/SF-MET signals through distinct pathways to induce angiogenesis. Recently, HGF/SF and MET have been shown to be upregulated during hypoxia leading to increased invasiveness. We are exploring the signaling cascade downstream of HGF/SF and MET in progression of tumor, specifically in promoting angiogenesis and cell survival. We are collaborating with Dr. David Soybel, a gastrointestinal surgeon at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and with Dr. Ermanno Gherardi. The goal is to develop pharmacological modulators of the HGF/SF MET pathway.