University of Pennsylvania · BiologyKashina Lab
Anna S Kashina · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Anna Kashina's lab at the University of Pennsylvania focuses on understanding how cells move, which is crucial for processes like tissue development, immune responses, and cancer spread. The lab studies how the structure and modification of a protein called actin influence cell migration. They are particularly interested in how specific changes in the genetic code and a process called arginylation affect the behavior of actin in cells, aiming to develop new treatments for diseases related to improper cell migration.
cell migrationactin regulationarginylationdisease mechanismscancer metastasis
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the role of nucleotide coding sequences in actin function.
AIM 02Identify mechanisms of actin arginylation in cell migration.
AIM 03Analyze how extracellular stimuli affect actin dynamics.
AIM 04Explore the specificity of arginylation in different actin isoforms.
AIM 05Develop therapeutic strategies to correct abnormal cell migration.
Skills the Lab Values
protein biochemistrycell biology techniquesmouse modelstransgenesismolecular cloning
Output against the department
Publications143top 48% of dept.488th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations5.0kbottom 38% of dept.642nd of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.