From Drosophila segmentation to human cancer therapy

First described in Drosophila, Hedgehog signalling is a key regulator of embryonic development and tissue homeostasis and its dysfunction underlies a variety of human congenital anomalies and diseases. Although now recognised as a major target for cancer therapy as well as a mediator of directed ste...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ingham, Philip William
Other Authors: Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/89811
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/47150
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:First described in Drosophila, Hedgehog signalling is a key regulator of embryonic development and tissue homeostasis and its dysfunction underlies a variety of human congenital anomalies and diseases. Although now recognised as a major target for cancer therapy as well as a mediator of directed stem cell differentiation, the unveiling of the function and mechanisms of Hedgehog signalling was driven largely by an interest in basic developmental biology rather than clinical need. Here, I describe how curiosity about embryonic patterning led to the identification of the family of Hedgehog signalling proteins and the pathway that transduces their activity, and ultimately to the development of drugs that block this pathway.