Amy Engevik, Ph.D.

 I am a new assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina and my lab studies the molecular motor, Myosin Vb, in health and disease states. My graduate training in systems physiology & biology and my postdoctoral fellowship in the Vanderbilt University Department of Surgery provided extensive experience in elucidating mechanisms of pathophysiology in gastrointestinal disorders. My goal is to build a research program around the many roles of Myosin Vb in cell biology, pathophysiology, and cancer. Myosin Vb is well-documented for its role in the congenital diarrheal disorder called Microvillus Inclusion Disease. However, how Myosin Vb regulates basic cellular processes such as proliferation, cell adhesion, and polarization is currently unclear. Recent findings have implicated Myosin Vb in the progression of several diverse cancers including colorectal, gastric, and uterine cancer. The functional consequences of increased or decreased expression of Myosin Vb in gastrointestinal cancers is an emerging research area of my lab. We are currently developing animal models and computational platforms to determine the contribution of Myosin Vb to the development of colorectal cancer.