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Dr. Wang is a Research Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate, M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in China. Dr. Wang completed her postdoctoral training at Northwestern University. A specialist in glycobiology and signaling, Dr. Wang is an author of more than 60 publications. Dr. Xiao-Qi Wang’s research focuses on the role of gangliosides on cell biological behavior. Gangliosides are sialylated glycosphingolipids, which are located on most eukaryotic membranes. Gangliosides are thought to modulate cell-cell recognition, cell-substratum interactions, cell growth, differentiation, and oncogenic transformation. Dr. Wang has provided evidence of ganglioside alteration in skin cancers. More recently she has shown that biochemical or genetic modulation of ganglioside content profoundly affects cell function. Gangliosides interact with receptors and interrupt downstream signaling to modulate cell behaviour. Dr. Wang has discovered that specific gangliosides are able to bind directly to glycosylated receptors, such the EGF receptor and integrin a5β1, resulting in (a) down-regulation of EGF receptor signaling to affect cell growth and motility; (b) prevention of cell adhesion, migration and spreading on extracelluar matrices; and (c) modulation of cell survival through integrin linked kinase/protein kinas B signaling. Her current focus is the role of gangliosides in signaling through the urokinase-like plasminogen activator receptor.
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