ToTOL - Research
The ToTOL research group combines the unique expertises Drs. Levi Beverly and Leah Siskind to study basic cancer biology, sphingolipid metabolism, experimental therapeutics, animal models and treatment-induced adverse side-effects. The lab currently has projects focused on lung cancer, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute kidney disease and it progression to chronic kidney disease, as well as studies linking cancer and neurodegenerative conditions. See below for a short list of the exciting research happening now!
The Beverly lab is interested in using models of human cancer to elucidate the mechanisms of tumor initiation, progression and regression following therapeutic intervention. To this end, we have adopted a philosophy of combining pre-clinical models with biochemistry, molecular biology and cultured human cells to dissect signaling pathways and cellular processes involved in all aspects of cancer biology. Using information gathered from these experiments, we proceed back into our model systems to determine how our understanding of the disease initiation, progression or treatment response has advanced.
The Siskind lab focuses on a family of bioactive lipids called sphingolipids that regulate processes fundamental to cancer initiation and progression. There is a balance between pro-death and pro-survival members of the sphingolipid family. Sphingolipid metabolism becomes unbalanced to favor cell survival in cancer cells and our data suggests that cancer cells rely on specific sphingolipids for their survival. We aim to target this weakness of cancer cells to design better combinatorial cancer treatments. To this end, we combine our expertise at the biophysical, molecular, cellular, and animal level with the goal of translating our findings to the clinic.
