Dr. Joseph Schlessinger is one of the first investigators of the field of Signal Transduction, which is essential for cancer research, and many other fields as well.

Signal transduction refers to any process by which a cell transform one kind of signal. Most signal transduction processes either include sequences which are ordered of biochemical reactions inside the cell. These are then carried out by enzymes, activated by second messengers. The overall result is a signal transduction pathway. This usually happens extremely quickly, normally in milliseconds (such as the case of ion flux). Other times this can take minutes for the activation of lipid-mediated and protein kinase cascades. That being said, some such reactions can take a few hours, days and even more. This is determined by necessity of the gene expression completion.

The number of molecules and proteins participating in the scenarios regarding to signal transduction grows as the process emanates from the primary stimulus, resulting in a “signal cascade,” beginning with generally a tiny stimulus that elicits a much greater response. This is referred to as amplification of the signal.

In single cell organisms as well as bacteria, the multitude of process of signal transduction of which the cell is capable of influences how many ways it can react to its environment. In more complex organisms, a variety multitude of various signal transduction processes are necessary for the coordination of the behavior and function of the comprising individual cells. This is both understandable and necessary so the whole organism can properly function. As one may expect, more complex organisms have a greater number of signal transduction processes. In addition, getting any sensory input from the outside environment at the cellular level relies on signal transduction.

This is why countless diseases including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and many more are involved with signal transduction and are a result of a flaw of the signal transduction pathways. This work is still far from being finished and additional grants are needed for the better of us all.