Roel Nusse

Roel Nusse, the co-discoverer of Wnt signaling, has made important contributions to understanding how Wnt and Hedgehog developmental signaling pathways cross-regulate each other in cancer, demonstrating that simultaneous activation of both pathways accelerates tumor progression in colorectal cancer and medulloblastoma. His research showed that Wnt and Hedgehog converge on shared downstream targets including GLI and beta-catenin that amplify oncogenic signaling. He established that R-spondin fusions activate Wnt signaling in colorectal cancer through a mechanism distinct from APC loss. His integrative approach to developmental signaling in cancer has informed combination strategies targeting multiple pathways.