Andreas Friedl
Credentials: MD
Position title: Professor
Email: afriedl@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 265-4262
Address:
1685 Highland Ave
Madison, WI 53705
Research Summary
My research focuses on the role of heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) in loss of growth control in cancer. HSPGs are hybrid molecules, which consist of core proteins and heparin-like polysaccharide domains. HSPGs are found in abundance on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix.
Specifically, we study the regulation of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling by HSPGs. HSPGs modulate binding of FGFs to their tyrosine kinase receptors and consequently signaling. My laboratory investigates the hypothesis that HSPG alterations contribute to loss of growth control in cancer by modulating the FGF signaling pathway. Recently, we have identified the HSPG glypican-1 as a specific stimulator of FGF2-induced angiogenesis in gliomas.
Another ongoing project examines the role of the cell surface HSPG syndecan-1 in epithelial-stromal interactions in breast carcinomas. We found that syndecan-1 is induced in the stromal fibroblasts of breast carcinomas, mimicking the mesenchymal expression of this molecule during development. Stromal syndecan-1 participates in a reciprocal feedback loop, which stimulates carcinoma cell growth via angiogenesis-dependent and independent mechanisms.
Selected Publications
- “Syndecan-1 in breast cancer stroma fibroblasts regulates extracellular matrix fiber organization and carcinoma cell motility.” Am. J. Pathol.. 2011;178(1):325-35.
- Yang X, Qiao D, Meyer K, Friedl A. “Signal transducers and activators of transcription mediate fibroblast growth factor-induced vascular endothelial morphogenesis.” Cancer Res.. 2009;69(4):1668-77.
- Conklin MW, Eickhoff JC, Riching KM, et al. “Aligned collagen is a prognostic signature for survival in human breast carcinoma.” Am. J. Pathol.. 2011;178(3):1221-32.
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI 1993-1995
- Residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 1989-1993
- Dr. of Medicine (Dr. med.), University of Erlangen Germany 1987
- MD, University of Erlangen, Germany 1985
Certifications
1990 – Present: Wisconsin Medical License
1993 – Present: Board Certification in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology