Lab Focus: New targets for cancer therapy

My laboratory is using zebrafish to discover genes that are indispensable for the growth of rapidly proliferating tissues during development. Typically, these genes are relatively silent during adulthood but are often re-activated by cancer cells later in life.

Using this approach, we identified several genes that may contribute to cancer development. We are currently testing whether they could be worthwhile targets for novel anti-cancer therapies.

To do this we are disrupting the activity of these genes in difficult-to-treat cancers, such as lung, liver, stomach and bowel cancer. Collectively these cancers cause nearly half of all cancer deaths globally, and new therapies are urgently needed.

Research interest

Research in the Heath laboratory is influenced by the recognition that many of the dynamic processes that occur during development are also highly active or dysregulated in cancer, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Using a forward genetic screen in zebrafish, we identified several genes that are critical for the rapid expansion of the digestive organs (liver, pancreas and intestine) during development.

We are now investigating whether the aberrant expression of these genes plays a role in the development of lung, liver, stomach and colon cancer. We expect these studies will enable us to propose new targets for cancer therapy.