Pamela Bhatt

Pamela Bhatt investigates the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein and its regulation of E2F transcription factors that control G1/S cell cycle progression and its dysregulation in cancer. Her research has characterized how oncogenic signaling through RAS/RAF/MEK and cyclin D-CDK4/6 pathway hyperactivation leads to constitutive Rb phosphorylation, E2F activation, and unrestrained S-phase entry in cancer cells. She has studied how Rb loss of function through deletion, mutation, or promoter methylation confers both oncogenic advantage and potential therapeutic vulnerabilities including altered sensitivity to DNA-damaging chemotherapy. Her work has implications for understanding why Rb pathway defects are found across diverse cancer types and how they can be therapeutically exploited.