Dr. Akhurst’s research is focused on mouse developmental and cancer genetics, and the translation of findings to study of human vascular diseases and cancer. Her group is characterizing genetic modifiers of TGFbeta signaling and how these genomic variants alter the outcome of disease processes. TGFbeta signaling is a central player in cancer, vascular, and stem cell biology, as well as cancer drug-resistance, thus these basic science questions provide critical insights into human disease mechanisms.