Dr. Tracy Leigh Keller

Dr. Tracy Keller received her BS in nuclear engineering from Kansas State University, her MS in cancer biology from the Harvard School of Public Health, and her PhD in cell and developmental biology from Harvard University. Her interest in metastatic signaling and the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase signal transduction pathway led her to design a cutting-edge polymerase chain reaction-based diagnostic assay for CNS Lyme disease. Keller’s research has focused on developing projects to study stromal inflammatory signaling and discover novel signal transduction pathways involved in chronic inflammatory disease, tumor metastasis, and metabolic disease. This work established the cellular target and molecular mechanism of action of the small molecule halofuginone.

Keller’s research interests include the amino acid restriction (AAR) pathway, particularly its novel molecular signaling functions and its role as a modulator of cellular and tissue inflammatory status. She is also interested in exploring the potential therapeutic role of hormetic stress signals in chronic inflammatory disease, metabolic disease, and aging. Her current research focuses on understanding AAR pathway activation as a means to suppress inflammation-driven tissue remodeling and developing therapeutic applications for conditions such as fibrosis, arthritis, chronic inflammatory disease, and metabolic disease.