Research in my laboratory focuses on the signaling of the RAS and RHO families of small GTP-binding proteins and of the UBASH3A/B family of protein tyrosine phosphatases. I am particularly interested in the protein-protein interactions these proteins make and how to harness this knowledge to design inhibitors to inhibit their signaling in leukemia and other cancers. My laboratory uses structural, biochemical, cellular, and in vivo approaches. My laboratory has developed the small molecule compound IODVA1 with inhibitory activity in several cellular and mouse models of cancer including TKI-resistant leukemia and breast and lung cancers. IODVA1 is the first-in-class inhibitor of VAV3, a RAC activator (RacGEF). My research is now geared towards identifying the mechanisms of resistance to IODVA1 and testing its efficacy in various cancer models where VAV3 is a target with the goal of initiating a clinical trial.