Discovering Novel Ways to Improve Early Detection and Treatments for Thoracic Malignancies

The Alaoui Lab is a core component of the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Lab, which is led by David M. Jablons, M.D. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and early detection is critcal to its treatment. The Alaoui lab seeks to identify and characterize the molecular pathways critical to the development of lung cancer and to find methods for targeting them, most notably the role of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in lung carcinogenesis and reactivation of embryonic signaling pathways such as Wnt signaling. It is also investigating two extracellular regulators of Wnt signaling, Sulf-1 and Sulf-2, as new therapeutic targets. The lab utilizes state-of-the-art molecular and cellular technogies for conducting research including the Affy-gene Titan high throughput expression analysis and ABI HT 7900 qPCR and have access to the  Thoracic Oncology Tissue Bank, one of the world's largest repositories of lung tumor tissue specimens.