Education

PhD, Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University (1995)

Research Areas and Projects

The Ceresa lab studies the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its role in tissue biology/wound repair and cancer. The EGFR has an essential role in many developmental processes and for homeostasis of a number of tissues, such as the cornea, epidermis, and colon. In addition, the EGFR is overexpressed and/or hyperactivated in a number of cancers, including lung, breast, gastric, pancreatic, and melanomas. The Ceresa lab is interested in the molecular mechanisms that regulate the magnitude and duration of EGFR signaling. Understanding how EGFR signaling is dysregulated may provide clues to the diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of cancer. Conversely, deliberately perturbing these regulatory processes is a strategy to enhance corneal epithelial wound healing. They use a variety of experimental strategies to answer our scientific questions – from purified proteins, primary and immortalized cell lines, isolated animal tissues, and whole animals.