Dr. Kathryn Ferguson

Biography

Kathryn M. Ferguson’s research focuses on extracellular control of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and their aberrant activation in cancer. She obtained her PhD from Yale University in 1996 and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. In 2003, she transitioned to an independent faculty position in the Department of Physiology at UPenn, later returning to Connecticut in 2015 to join the Yale Cancer Biology Institute and the Department of Pharmacology. Her research investigates the mechanisms of activation of RTKs, particularly the dimeric unliganded states and the effects of therapeutic agents on these processes. Ferguson's team is notably involved in an NIH-funded interdisciplinary program focusing on the regulation of RTKs in their native membrane environments, employing cutting-edge techniques like cryo-electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, and optical imaging. She works on the modulation of RTK functions through lipid components and has a longstanding interest in therapeutic antibodies targeting EGFR family members to inhibit receptor activity.

Research Interests

Experience