Projects:1. Targeting THBD signaling pathway as a therapeutic option for aging-age associated diseases. • Identified THBD-signaling pathway as a pivotal driver of aging.• Demonstrated that its inhibition, using an FDA-approved and clinically-available inhibitor, vorapaxar, is a viable therapeutic strategy for aging and age-associated diseases. 2. Synthetic legality by targeting the core senescent mechanism in non-small cell lung (NSCLC) cancer• Pioneered a novel combinatory therapy involving THBD-signaling inhibition and the CDK 4/6 inhibitor, palbociclib, to induce synthetic lethality in NSCLC. Work resulted in NIH funded grant (R01CA244564).

Projects:Thesis: Novel Signaling Mechanisms for Endoglin During Angiogenesis 1. Investigated novel signaling roles for the TGF-B co-receptor, endoglin, in vascular homeostasis and pathogenesis during tumor-associated angiogenesis. 2. Elucidated the underlying mechanism by which TRC105, the first, clinically stage antibody to endoglin, elicits its therapeutic effects.3. Examined the role of TGF-B signaling in microtubule hyper-acetylation and mitochondrial dynamics during angiogenesis.

• Characterized mutant strains of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans which contribute to defects in cell growth and division