Rytis Prekeris

Rytis Prekeris, Ph.D., is a Professor and Director of the Molecular Biology Graduate Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. His research focuses on cell polarization, protein targeting, and their roles in development and cancer. He collaborates with experts in microRNA (Dr. Paul Jedlicka) and breast cancer (Dr. Tracy Lyons) to study mechanisms of metastasis.

• Research Interests: Epithelial cell polarization, Rab GTPases, midbody signaling, cancer metastasis, and stem cell proliferation.
• Methodologies: Combines in vitro (MDCK cultures) and in vivo (zebrafish) models with cell/molecular biology techniques.

Key Projects:

• Molecular mechanisms of apical lumen formation in epithelial tissues
• Targeted MMP secretion via invadopodia in breast cancer
• Midbody inheritance regulation in post-mitotic cells

Recent Publications: Explore Rab GTPase regulation of cell division, midbody signaling in stemness, and Cx43 inhibitor phosphorylation dynamics.