Heike Folsch, PhD
Research Associate Professor, Cell and Molecular Biology; Feinberg School of Medicine
Research Program
Cancer-Focused Research
Understanding how epithelial cells establish and maintain apical-basolateral polarity through continuously sorting transmembrane proteins to their correct target domains. Our focus is on sorting events that take place in recycling endosomes and are facilitated by the cytosolic adaptor complex AP-1B. Because epithelial cells play critical roles in many organs and are responsible for elemental processes like nutrient uptake and waste product secretion, total or partial loss of polarity is associated with diseases such as metastatic cancer, polycystic kidney disease, and Crohn's disease.