Understanding structure and spatio-temporal regulation of Braf, Spred1/2 and NF1 during differentiation (SPREDCanUL2)

The project at a glance

Start date:

01 Feb 2024
Duration in months:

48
Funding:

FNR
Principal Investigator(s):

Daniel ABANKWA

About

Individually rare, but collectively common developmental disorders called RASopathies lead to severe developmental defects in children, including growth-, heart- and brain- abnormalities, and a predisposition for certain cancers. These disorders are driven by single mutations in genes of the RAS signaling pathway, which is well known to be aberrantly regulated in virtually all human cancers. Currently, it is not well understood which common cellular processes are exploited in these phenotypically very different diseases. Here we investigate in two PhD projects the specific functions of the interaction cascade of BRAF, SPRED1/2, NF1 and KRAS, proteins that impact on RASopathies and cancers. Our project has the potential to uncover a fundamental process of life that becomes dysregulated in mentioned diseases. Moreover, this project will foster the collaboration between Prof. Abankwa’s group at the University of Luxembourg and Prof. Smith’s group at one of the top research institutions in North America, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Université de Montréal.