Mike Costa Senior Sceintist: Cancer Targets Profile | Education/Background | Top Scientific Papers | Awards & Honors

"I came to Genentech in 2004 to extend my research focus from signal transduction genetics in invertebrate model systems to cancer pathways biology. I feel that the critical mass of talented scientists and valuable resources at Genentech provides a research environment uniquely suited to uncovering how complex, interacting signaling pathways and their components drive human diseases. Importantly, Genentech also has the expertise and infrastructure to efficiently advance early-stage research discoveries into clinical development of targeted therapies, and through to marketed products that benefit patients."

Current Projects "My research group is focused toward developing mechanism-based therapies targeting Wnt/β-catenin signaling, which is aberrantly activated at different points in the pathway at high incidence in many tumor types. We are pursuing diverse approaches to inhibit specific components of the pathway using monoclonal antibodies and small molecules. In addition, we are identifying new Wnt signaling components in genetic screens and defining their molecular mechanisms and pathway interactions that mediate or modify β-catenin activity. Finally, we are utilizing the research tools developed from these studies to better understand the different ways in which activated Wnt signaling initiates tumorigenesis and is required for tumor progression in different cancers."

Collaborations "The Wnt Pathway Program, headed by Paul Polakis, brings together key scientists with diverse expertise, including contributors from Protein Engineering and Medicinal Chemistry departments. Our individual research projects foster additional partnerships with Antibody Engineering, Molecular Biology, Early Lead Discovery, and Protein Chemistry groups, characteristic of the extensive intramural cooperation throughout the Research division that advances projects efficiently toward common goals. Additionally, we have established productive external collaborations that extend our research to additional areas of expertise of academic and industry scientists, including Drosophila genetics at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences."

Inspiration/Vision "I am inspired by my daily interactions here with like-minded scientists driven by a passion for discovery and commitment to translating a deeper understanding of biologic processes into novel disease therapies. My goal for the research of our group within the next five years is to fully develop lead molecules with unique mechanism-based anti-tumor activity that progress to clinical development. More broadly, I anticipate contributing critical new pieces to the puzzle that explains the intricacies of how living things are put together and function."