My background is in the area of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and how they contribute to cancer development and progression. I have been especially interested in testing drugs that can inhibit MMPs in cancer models and in understanding why such drugs have not been effective in human cancer patients. Lately, the lab has focused on identifying functions of specific members of the MMP family in inflammation and cancer. Additionally, I work on the Th2 cytokines IL4 and IL13 and their receptors, and how these molecules can influence malignant progression of breast and colon cancers. We use multiple mouse models combined with in vitro approaches to address the pleiotropic functions of these cytokines which affect both the epithelial cancer cells and the inflammatory infiltrate within tumors.