The White Lab is interested in identifying novel therapeutic targets for multiple disease states as well as answering some fundamental mechanistic questions in biology. We are particularly involved in quantifying changes in kinase signaling networks and antigen presentation using a combination of mass spectrometry-based proteomics and computational modeling.
Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) Signaling
Despite the wealth of computational techniques designed to predict responses from RTK signaling, the data available for these efforts is relatively poor. Major shortcomings include lack of site specificity, relative quantification, and poor temporal resolution. We have developed new mass spectrometry-based methods that improve measurements of signaling dynamics... more >>
Cancer Biology
Protein phosphorylation plays a vital role in coordinating information flow within the cell and regulating emergent tumor phenotypes ranging from proliferation to invasion and angiogenesis. Quantitative analysis of protein signaling circuits in human tumor specimens can provide insight into intracellular signaling networks underlying tumor behavior while identifying activated kinases and their substrates, signaling components that may represent druggable targets... more >>
Insulin Resistance
Insulin receptor signaling regulates blood glucose homeostasis. Obesity, among other conditions, decreases insulin receptor signaling, resulting in increased blood glucose, increased insulin levels, and a host of adverse health effects... more >>
Analog Sensitive Kinases
One of the key challenges of mapping a kinase to particular substrate phosphorylation events is establishing a direct kinase-substrate interaction. Such knowledge would be useful for further understanding signal transduction networks and discovering novel substrates of kinases... more >>
Immunopeptidomics
Peptides bound to major histocompatibility complexes (MHC) play a critical role in immune cell recognition and can trigger an antitumor immune response in cancer. Surface MHC levels can be modulated by anticancer agents... more >>
Alzheimer's Disease
Despite decades of research and hundreds of clinical trials, Alzheimer's disease remains a neurdogenerative condition without a cure. This is due in no small part to the dearth of information on the network of interactions between amyloid beta, tau protein, and the many interacting cells in the brain... more >>