Scientific Overview

General Overview

Bart Williams and his lab staff study the Wnt family of proteins and their associated molecules. Wnt proteins are remarkably similar in species ranging from nematodes (parasitic worms) to vertebrate animals, and changes in the signaling pathway of Wnt proteins is one of the most common cellular changes associated with cancer, as well as other disorders such as osteoporosis. The lab’s researchers are studying the cellular receptors for Wnt molecules, the effects of mutations on Wnt signaling, and the role of Wnt proteins in melanoma and prostate cancer.