Carl P. Blobel MD, PhD

Studies in my lab are focused on a family of membrane-anchored metalloproteases named ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) with an emphasis on their role in tissue degeneration and regeneration, rheumatoid arthritis and angiogenesis. ADAMs are membrane-anchored glycoproteins that can function as molecular signaling switches by cleaving and releasing other membrane proteins from cells. This process, which is referred to as “protein ectodomain shedding”, can activate or inactivate the substrate protein, or substantially change its functional properties. Examples of membrane proteins whose function is regulated by ADAMs are the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF alpha, the main target of drugs for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and several ligands of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a receptor with important roles in development, cancer and wound healing.