University of Vermont Cancer Center Member Profile
Alan Howe, PhD
Associate Director of Cancer Research, Training and Education Coordination, UVM Cancer Center
Professor, Pharmacology
Professor, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
Full Member
Cancer Host and Environment (CHE)
Academic Interests
Just as a person’s behavior can be influenced by their surroundings, so too can the functions of individual cells be influenced by the cell’s microenvironment. When cells attach to & ‘sample’ this environment – called the extracellular matrix – they form specialized adhesive structures that not only help the cells attach but also report and control the status of that attachment. Invariably, cancer cells misinterpret their environment, which helps them spread throughout the body during metastasis. Dr. Howe's laboratory focuses on studying various ‘reporting’ or signaling proteins to determine how they are regulated by cell adhesion and how their signals control cell movement – all with the hope that by learning more about this particular reporter, we will learn more about how normal cells and their cancerous counterparts are influenced by their surroundings.
Just as a person’s behavior can be influenced by their surroundings, so too can the functions of individual cells be influenced by the cell’s microenvironment. When cells attach to & ‘sample’ this environment – called the extracellular matrix – they form specialized adhesive structures that not only help the cells attach but also report and control the status of that attachment. Invariably, cancer cells misinterpret their environment, which helps them spread throughout the body during metastasis. Dr. Howe's laboratory focuses on studying various ‘reporting’ or signaling proteins to determine how they are regulated by cell adhesion and how their signals control cell movement – all with the hope that by learning more about this particular reporter, we will learn more about how normal cells and their cancerous counterparts are influenced by their surroundings.