Adhesion networks in cancer Image Professor Margaret Frame, Director, Institute of Genetics and Cancer. Research in a NutshellWe work on cell adhesion networks in cancer, with specific focus to date on the regulation and role of the adhesion-linked ‘nodal’ Tyrosine Kinases, and their extensive network of interacting partners. Src and FAK kinases reside at sites of cell interaction with the environment or neighboring cells, and we are studying their wider cellular roles, including at other sub-cellular locale. Increasingly, we also study other proteins that have cancer-specific adaptor functions – either because they interact with the Src/FAK pathway in adhesion-regulated complexes, or they function in invasion or metastasis. Typically, these proteins regulate a variety of processes that lie at the heart of the cancer problem, namely epithelial plasticity, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), loss of tissue regulation and tissue architecture, self-renewing properties, resistance to therapy, invasion and metastasis and host-tumour interactions. Research Programme Image People Margaret FramePrincipal Investigator, Professor of Cancer BiologyAdam ByronProtein informatician and network analystJohn DawsonPost Doctoral Scientist (with Neil Carragher)Martin LeePost Doctoral ScientistBillie GriffithPhD student (with Bryan Serrels)Frederic Li Mow CheePost Doctoral ScientistRachel CameronPhD student (with Duncan Graham, University of Strathclyde)Ms Helen TitmarshPhD student (with Adam Byron and Kev Dhaliwal)ContactM.Frame@ed.ac.ukPA: laura.wood@ed.ac.uk Margaret Frame - Research Information CollaborationsProfessor Owen Sansom, CRUK Beatson Institute, University of GlasgowProfessor Val Brunton, University of Edinburgh Professor Neil Carragher, University of EdinburghProfessor Walter Witke, University of BonnProfessor Ivan Dikic, University of FrankfurtProfessor Laura Machesky, CRUK Beatson Institute, University of GlasgowProfessor Maddy Parsons, King’s College LondonProfessor Duncan Graham, University of StrathclydeProfessor Mark Bradley, University of EdinburghDr Alan Serrels, University of EdinburghDr Kevin Dhaliwal, University of EdinburghDr Steven Pollard, University of EdinburghPartners and FundersCancer Research UKEuropean Research CouncilMedical Research CouncilScientific ThemesCancer biology, tyrosine kinases, protein scaffolds, network biology, host-tumour interactions, drug discoveryTechnology ExpertiseCell and molecular biology, imaging, proteomics, cancer models This article was published on 2024-09-23