Shafi Kuchay, PhD

Shafi Kuchy, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of deregulated cell survival and proliferation is fundamental to the targeted molecular therapy and rational drug discovery. In the Kuchay Lab, they are investigating the mechanisms of ubiquitin regulated pathways operating at cell membranes using unbiased and interdisciplinary approaches. They seek to uncover the functional involvement of these pathways in disease, cancer in particular. Although ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in general is well studied, its role in regulating membrane proteins remains somewhat enigmatic. To offer important new insights into the biology of membrane protein turnover, Kuchay’s lab focuses on identifying ubiquitin regulated pathways and their dysregulation in disease operating at cellular membranes.