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Lauth Lab
Cellular Signalling in Cancer

The crosstalk mechanisms between tumor cells and their surrounding cells (stroma) are increasingly appreciated as being central for understanding cancer development and for the design of future targeted therapies. Our research focus lies on the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling system, an evolutionarily conserved signal transduction cascade that is involved in numerous cancer types. In many instances, Hh is responsible for a close crosstalk between tumor and stroma cells determining key features of tumor cell malignancy, for instance cell survival, metastasis or chemoresistance. We are interested in understanding the molecular steps within the Hh cascade in order to identify potential novel drug targets in the pathway. In addition, we are focusing on which cellular effects Hh signaling exerts within a multi-cell-type conglomerate such as a tumor.