Research interests

Dr. Beischlag's lab is interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying an organism’s response environmental stimuli including environmental contaminants and hypoxia. One avenue of research concerns how environmental sensors such as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and its partner the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator mediate endocrine disruption in response to exposure to ubiquitous environmental contaminants.

A more recent endeavor examines how hypoxia, or low oxygen "promotes" metastasis in cancer. Dr. Beischlag's lab has identified an unrecognized mode of regulation of hypoxia-controlled gene expression and intends to exploit this to develop better therapeutic anti-cancer agents and strategies. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF’s) regulate gene expression in response to low oxygen tension. This includes the formation of new vasculature, and the biochemical transformation of cancer cells into more lethal, metastatic forms. Evidence suggests that the retinoblastoma protein, Rb, attenuates the physiological response to hypoxia by HIF’s. Mutations that eliminate Rb function cause uncontrolled HIF activity and promote the formation of new blood vessels and tumour progression. In addition, loss of Rb leads to aggressive cellular behaviour in the human breast and prostate cancer cell lines. The hypothesis that Dr. Beischlag's lab is pursuing is that loss of Rb results in uncontrolled expression of hypoxia-regulated factors. Targeting the factors regulating the growth of vasculature has been an attractive strategy for the development of therapies in cancer. However, these approaches are limited. If therapies that fight cancer progression are to be improved, the multiple factors regulating metastasis including cell invasion must be targeted.

Publications and activities

View Dr. Beischlag's publications here.