Yibin Kang

Yibin Kang has defined the molecular mechanisms of bone metastasis, identifying specific gene sets that mediate breast cancer homing to and colonization of bone through the vicious cycle of tumor cell-osteoclast interaction driven by RANKL, PTHrP, and TGF-beta signaling. His gene expression profiling identified the bone metastasis gene signature from in vivo selected breast cancer sublines, providing the first molecular portrait of organ-specific metastatic capacity. He has characterized how the bone microenvironment provides unique survival signals to dormant disseminated tumor cells. His work on RANKL-mediated bone destruction provided the molecular rationale for denosumab in preventing skeletal metastatic events.