Claffey Lab

• Lab Members
• Research Interests
• Research Projects
• Lab Methods
• Publications

Lab Members

Research Interests

Mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis mediated by hypoxia-induced vascular endothelial growth factor expression. Tumor cell regulation of VEGF transcriptional, post-transcriptional and translation under hypoxia. Cellular mRNA binding proteins facilitating VEGF expression. Tumor microenvironmental factors that modulate the balance between positive and negative angiogenic factors.

Role of membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases in breast cancer invasion and metastasis. Control of MT-MMP gene expression by tumor microenvironments mediated by cytokine, hypoxia and metabolic byproducts. MT-MMP activation cascades regulated by post-translational mechanisms.

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Research Projects

• Identification of mRNA binding proteins that regulate VEGF mRNA stability under hypoxia. Determination of mRNA binding protein expression profiles in tumor cells with differential sensitivities to hypoxia with respect to VEGF expression. Defining signaling mechanisms which control the cellular distribution and activity of VEGF mRNA binding proteins activated under hypoxic conditions.
• Evaluation of breast cancer molecular mechanisms controlling MT1-MMP expression. These include estrogen receptor expression, genomic methylation, transcription factor expression and activation, signal transduction pathways and loss of tumor suppressor activity.
• Clinical translational breast, melanoma and colon cancer projects characterizing patient-specific immune response to tumor. Molecular characterization of self-reactive antigens reflected by local lymph node activation.

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Lab Methods

The following methods are used by our lab:

• Histological Methods
• In Vivo Angiogenesis using Matrigel Implants
• In Vivo Microvascular Permeability Assays
• Production of Chicken IgY Polyclonal Antibodies

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