The long-term goal of our laboratory is to understand the biology of prostate diseases namely, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer. To this end, we have focused our attention on the Cancer/Testis Antigens, a group of important proteins that are expressed in germ cells but are virtually silent in somatic cells.

Interestingly, a majority of the CTAs are 'intrinsically disordered proteins' (IDPs). IDPs, unlike most globular proteins, appear to lack a 3D structure. Understanding how the CT genes are 'reactivated' and elucidating the structure of the encoded IDPs could shed new light on their role in prostate diseases.

We apply a variety of biochemical, biophysical, and bioinformatics and computational techniques to answer many of these questions.

Research in our laboratory is supported by the NCI, NIDDK, The Patana Fund, The Patrick C Walsh Cancer Fund and a gift from Mr Christian Evenson.