My research interests focus on the molecular mechanisms associated with kinases signaling. Protein kinases play a key regulatory role in nearly every aspect of cell biology making protein phosphorylation the most exploited form of posttranslational modification. Protein phosphorylation can modulate enzyme activity and it can also alter other biological activities such as transcription and translation. Kinases, as well as pseudokinases, are often dysregulated in a variety of diseases, especially cancer. Beyond the basic question of how kinases/pseudokinases function in normal and pathogenic conditions, there is also a significant interest in developing approaches to inhibit them. However, the expected development of drug resistance for the majority of kinase-specific inhibitors in the treatment of neoplastic disorders requires new approaches to solve this therapeutic challenge. My focus is towards the understanding of drug-resistance mechanisms and the development of new technologies such as PROTAC-chimeras for the therapeutic targeting of kinases/pseudokinases in cancer.
Daniela Ungureanu
