Heike Folsch, PhD Academic Title: Research Assistant Professor, Cell and Molecular Biology; Feinberg School of Medicine Member of: Cancer Cell Biology Email: h-folsch@northwestern.edu Publications:(30) View Publications Listing Cancer Focused Research:

Dr. Folsch's research interests are to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in establishment and maintenance of cellular polarity as loss of polarity is a prerequisite of metastatic cancer derived from epithelial cells. Work in the Folsch lab centers around the epithelial-specific clathrin-adaptor complex AP-1B that plays a pivotal role in basolateral delivery of transmembrane proteins along the biosynthetic and endocytic pathways. Currently the lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms of vesicle formation and fusion. This research encompasses the analysis of mutant forms of AP-1B and small GTPases such as Rab13 and Arf6, which regulate the AP-1B pathway. By better understanding the process by which epithelial cells maintain polarity, the lab will shed light on how epithelial cells become depolarized in metastatic cancer.