Maria Bhatt

Maria Bhatt investigates the biology of GLI transcription factors that mediate Hedgehog pathway output in cancer cells. Her research has characterized context-dependent regulation of GLI1 and GLI2 beyond canonical Hedgehog signaling, including activation by TGF-beta, RAS/MEK, and PI3K pathways. She has developed direct GLI inhibitor strategies that can bypass upstream SMO resistance in Hedgehog-driven tumors. Her work has advanced understanding of non-canonical GLI activation as a resistance mechanism and identified novel therapeutic strategies targeting the Hedgehog transcriptional effectors.