Benjamin R. Myers

Benjamin R. Myers, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah, with an adjunct appointment in Biochemistry. His research focuses on transmembrane signaling and its role in cancer development and developmental biology.

• Education: A.B. in Biochemical Sciences from Harvard University, PhD in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco.
• Postdoctoral Fellowship: Studied Hedgehog signaling under Philip Beachy at Stanford University.

Research Interests: The Myers Lab investigates how extracellular signals (e.g., Hedgehog, Wnt pathways) are transmitted across cell membranes through membrane proteins, lipids, and second messenger systems, particularly in cilia. Their work combines membrane biochemistry, biophysics, and cell biology to understand cellular identity specification and cancer mechanisms.

Scientific Trends: Recent publications emphasize Hedgehog pathway regulation via SMOOTHENED-GRK2-PKA signaling, membrane sterols, and ciliary dynamics, with applications in basal cell carcinoma and medulloblastoma.