During normal growth and development, cells in the body communicate with each other through protein receptors on the cell surface. Among the proteins used for this communication are receptor tyrosine kinases, or RTKs, which have been shown to play a critical role in the development and progression of many cancers by transmitting too much signal. A biochemist at the University at Buffalo has received $720,000 from the American Cancer Society to study how the RTK signaling pathway functions.