Jan Kitajewski, PhD
Sweeney Basic Sciences Professor
Director, University of Illinois Cancer Center
Head, Department of Physiology and Biophysics
College of Medicine
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909 S. Wolcott Ave. MC 901
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Research Currently in Progress
The Kitajewski lab studies angiogenesis during cardiovascular development, in physiological settings, and in vascular pathologies. Our focus is on endothelial cell fate determination regulated by Notch signaling, GPCR signaling mediated by Chloride Intracellular Channels (CLIC), and matrix remodeling pathways regulated by anthrax toxin receptors (ANTXR). This work has uncovered mechanisms of embryonic, ovarian, retinal and tumor angiogenesis and contributed to our understanding of fertility, preeclampsia, vascular malformations, retinopathies, tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. The lab works actively to develop therapeutics for oncology use by targeting tumor angiogenesis, and his group developed Notch inhibitors, called “Notch decoys” that block tumor growth by reducing tumor vessel function.