Jordan's Syndrome Research Team

Honkanen

Dr. Richard Honkanen, PhD

University of South Alabama

Graduate Education

Ph.D. - Univeristy of Georgia, Athens, GA
Post-Doctoral Studies - Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA
University of Hawaii, Manoa, HI

Research Interests

In my laboratory, we are currently studying the molecular mechanisms associated with cancer, coronary heart disease and diabetes. The common theme of our research is the functions of specific protein phosphatases.

A major goal of our cancer research is to identify and clone novel protein phosphatases that may play a role in the aberrant proliferative behavior of neoplastic cells. We have also identified a number of natural marine toxins with specific and potent inhibitory activity against certain protein phosphatases. Some of these "toxins" alter the cell cycle progression of tumor cells in culture, and we are interested in determining if these compounds have the potential for development into novel drugs for the treatment of certain cancers.

We are also developing techniques to better use these phosphatase inhibitors for the identification of novel protein phosphatases and to study the roles of specific phosphatases in normal and aberrant cellular functions. We are also interested in the identification and development of novel type specific inhibitors.

Meet Dr. Honkanen