Canada Research Chair in Cell Signaling and Translational Medicine

Phone: 709-864-6635
Email: MLeitges@mun.ca

Research involves
Using mouse genetics and molecular biological approaches, new ProteinkinaseC/ProteinkinaseD mediated signalling pathways will be identified and its disease relevance, with a focus on cancer, characterized.

Research relevance
This research will identify new drug targets and finally new drugs for a more specific cancer treatment, with less side effects.

Deciphering PKC/PKD kinase functions during cancer development
Kinases are intracellular proteins with pivotal roles for a healthy cell. Deregulation and malfunctions are associated with many human diseases.

For more than two decades, research from Dr. Leitges' lab has focused on the functional in-vivo analysis of individual kinases belonging to the Protein Kinase C family. As a result, his group, in collaboration with other scientific groups, has identified certain PKC functions to be associated with the development of very common diseases like diabetes, immune deficiencies and cancer.

As the tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Cell Signaling and Translational Medicine, Dr. Leitges uses state-of-the-art molecular biological approaches in combination with mouse genetics. Once new signalling pathways are identified a transfer to the human system is a prerequisite for the development of new drugs. This so-called from bench-to-bedside approach has been successfully applied by Dr. Leitges in the past and reflects the translational relevance of his work.

A focus of Dr. Leitges' lab is cancer biology. In this context his work provided numerous new insights regarding PKC signalling during cancer development and defined individual PKCs as promising drug targets. In addition more recent results from his group identified so far unknown signalling pathways, which are essential for tumour development and integrate the PKC/PKD signalling axis. These will be further characterized applying the established technologies in the lab and will serve as future drug targets.

In conclusion, the future work from Dr. Leitges' lab will eventually provide new drugs for cancer treatment, which potentially act more specific and show less harmful side effects.