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Frederic de Sauvage Vice President: Molecular Biology |
"I came to Genentech in 1990 to work as a postdoctoral fellow in David Goeddel's lab. I thought I would be here only for two or three years. I had wanted to work for Genentech ever since I started college. Genentech is a great place for the science as well as for being able to translate its research into drugs that help people."
Current Projects "The department is interested in studying and targeting a number of important signaling pathways such as Ras, Hedgehog and Notch. Development pathways such as Wnt, Hedgehog and Notch play critical roles during embryogenesis where they modulate proliferation or differentiation of numerous cell types. It is however becoming increasingly clear that these pathways are involved in tumorigenesis when reactivated in adult tissues through mutations or overexpression of pathway components. We are also involved in a number of earlier stage initiatives such as the investigation of therapeutic use of RNAi, using genetic mouse models of cancer to better predict drug efficacy as well as cancer and functional genome projects to identify novel drug targets in various therapeutic areas."
Collaborations "Collaborations, internally or external, are key to success at Genentech. Over the years I have had many collaborations across the company. Recently, my lab's interest was mostly focused on the characterization of the hedgehog signaling pathway and the development of pathway antagonists for the treatment of various cancer. This project has evolved into a multidisciplinary project that involves many departments across the organization and a great collaboration with our partner Curis, which has given me the opportunity to interact with fantastic people."
Inspiration/Vision "I want to build a team of great people doing great science that will contribute to our research and our pipeline. A major motivation at Genentech is to one day see your work move into the clinic."