Ever since his graduate studies Dr. Gullberg has worked on integrins. For almost two decades this work has focused on work related to integrin alpha11, which was discovered in the Gullberg
group. Integrin alpha11beta1 is a collagen receptor with a number of features which makes it an interesting molecule in tissue fibrosis and tumor-stroma interactions in different types of solid tumors.

The research group has accumulated a number of reagents to perform detailed molecular studies of cell-collagen interactions. A recent review article summarizes some of the current research challenges in this field (Zeltz et al., 2013).

Current projects aim to generate new animal models (mouse and zebrafish) to study the role of integrin alpha11 during development, in fibrosis and in tumors. Also, the Gullberg Group wants to generate new function blocking reagents to integrin alpha11. The scientists want to reach a better understanding of the role of integrin alpha11 in cancer-associated fibroblasts (Marie Curie ITN funded project).

Last, but not least, the Gullberg Group aim to characterize the role of integrin alpha11 in  cleroderma/fibrosis (EEA-funded bilateral Norway-Poland project).

The CCBIO projects deals with the role of integrin alpha11 in the tumor stroma using two main techniques. The first is the use of tumor-fibroblast heterospheroids as a 3D model system to understand bidirectional communication between the tumor cells and fibroblasts. A long-term goal is to develop this system to a large scale in vitro system. This way one could screen for compounds targeting integrins/integrin signaling, with the potential to inhibit tumor growth and spreading.

The second way of working is to use new reagents to conditionally inactivate genes in an integrin alpha11 specific manner. The longterm aim here is to develop new animal models to more stringently be able to analyze role of cancer associated fibroblasts in tumor stroma interactions.

Integrins play a key role in many severe diseases, and the goal of the Donald Gullberg Group is that the research will result in better and more effective treatments.