Andrew Kocab
e-mail address: kocaban@umich.edu

Mentor: Colin Duckett, PhD

Research Description

The lab studies a protein family known as the Inhibitors of Apoptosis (IAP) and their role in cellular signaling.  My work specifically focuses on the roles of cellular IAP1 and 2 (cIAP1 and cIAP2).  Contrary to what their name implies, these proteins are involved in a multitude of signaling pathways aside from apoptosis.  I am studying how the cIAPs are involved in CD30 signaling.  CD30 is a member of the TNF receptor superfamily and is often expressed on certain lymphoma cells.  CD30 can activate multiple signaling pathways, many of which are involved in the pathogenesis of various cancers, and it appears that the cIAPs are important for regulating these pathways. 

Publications

Evelyn CR, Bell JL, Ryu JG, Wade SM, Kocab A, Harzdorf NL, Hollis Showalter
HD, Neubig RR, Larsen SD. Design, synthesis and prostate cancer cell-based
studies of analogs of the Rho/MKL1 transcriptional pathway inhibitor,
CCG-1423. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2010, 20, 665-72.

Abstracts

Awards

Rackham Merit Fellowship