A cell doesn't exist in isolation. It is constantly bombarded with chemicals that tell it to Move over here! Split into two cells! and Become a certain type of cell! These external chemical signals, called growth factors and hormones, trigger biochemical chain reactions within cells. In some cases, such signals stimulate molecular cells called enzymes that then change the chemical makeup of other enzymes, and so on -- a cascade of events that results in specific cell functions. Melanie Cobb, Ph.D., focuses her research on enzymes known as mitogen-activated protein kinases, or MAP kinases. Among the many types of MAP kinases are a category called ERKs (extracellular signal-regulated kinases), which are implicated in chemical chain reactions that influence diabetes, cancer and other diseases. Dr. Cobb and her colleagues currently are focusing on how ERKs function in pancreatic beta cells, which produce insulin. In this lecture, Dr. Cobb will discuss how research on the MAP kinase cascade has provided insights into many cell processes and also helped identify potential new targets for drug development.