Investigator Cancer Center, Mass General Research Institute

Investigator Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital

Professor of Pathology Harvard Medical School

Patricia and Scott Eston MGH Research Scholar (2011-2016) Mass General Research Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital

adherens junctions; cell polarity; contact inhibition; cytoskeletal proteins; cytoskeleton; neurofibromatosis 1; neurofibromatosis 2; neurofibromin 1; neurofibromin 2; receptor, epidermal growth factor

The McClatchey laboratory seeks to understand how cells organize their outer membrane or cortex, which, in turn, determines their identity, behavior, and interface with the external environment. Cancer cells exhibit defective membrane organization and therefore interact inappropriately with other cells and with their environment.

Our research stems from a longstanding dedication to understanding the molecular basis of neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), a familial tumor syndrome caused by mutation of the NF2 tumor suppressor gene. The NF2-encoded protein, Merlin, and closely related ERM proteins (Ezrin, Radixin, and Moesin) are key architects of the cell cortex.