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Goals: We study phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks), a group of intracellular signal transduction enzymes which diverse roles in cells an in the organism. Our research goal is to understand the physiological roles of the distinct PI3K isoforms in man, with focus on inflammation and cancer.
Achievements: 1.I have been involved in the systematic search for new PI3K family members and their subsequent analysis. Together with my colleagues, I proposed the now generally accepted nomenclature and classification for the PI3K family (Reference 1)
2.I discovered p110delta, a PI3K isoform that is preferentially expressed in leukocytes (Reference 2). I hold international patents on this invention (eg. US patent No 6,482,623; granted to the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, with M.D. Waterfield as co-inventor).
3.I was amongst the first to document isoform-specific biological functions of PI 3-kinases (Reference 3). We have now turned to mouse gene targeting in order to assess whether this also holds true in an intact organism. Our most recent work on p110delta mutant mice revealed that this PI3K isoform plays a unique role in lymphocyte signalling (Reference 4). These findings established p110delta as an excellent new target for anti-inflammatory drugs.
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