Darren Seals

Dr. Darren Seals is an Associate Professor of Cancer Biology in the Department of Biology at Appalachian State University. His research focuses on cellular mechanisms of cancer progression, particularly the role of specialized cellular structures in tumor invasion and metastasis.

Dr. Seals' research interests center on cell signaling mechanisms that regulate cell motility, with particular emphasis on tumor growth and metastasis. His laboratory investigates podosomes and invadopodia - actin-based cytoskeletal protrusions that enable invasive cell types to adhere to and remodel surrounding tissue. His work on the Src tyrosine kinase substrate and adaptor protein Tks5/Fish has significantly contributed to understanding how these structures form and function during cancer development and progression.

Dr. Seals' publication record demonstrates a clear research trajectory from plant cell biology in his early career to cancer cell biology in his more recent work. His research has particularly focused on the role of invadopodia in cancer cell invasion and the role of podosomes in normal cell types within the tumor microenvironment. His guiding hypothesis is that Tks5 acts in a Src signaling pathway to scaffold a network of podosome-associated proteins, engineering the necessary events of actin polymerization and proteolysis that contribute to cell invasion and cancer development.

Dr. Seals teaches courses in Biological Concepts, Cell Biology, Cell Biology Laboratory, and Cancer Biology. His professional affiliations include the American Association for Cancer Research, American Society for Cell Biology, and The Invadosome Consortium.