The Sabatini lab is interested in understanding how biological systems regulate size. Our work has focused in part on a cellular network called the mTOR pathway, a critical regulator of growth in many species. We have recently identified several new protein components of the mTOR pathway and are beginning to understand their function at the cell and organismal level and in diseases such as cancer. We also have an increasing interest in the metabolic deregulaton of cancer cells and have been exploiting loss of function RNAi screening to study this area.

To study the mTOR pathway and other important cellular networks, the lab has also developed a new type of microarray that allows scientists to look at thousands of genes at once and identify their roles inside the cell. These 'cell microarrays' contain 4,000-10,000 microscopic spots, each composed of a group of live cells over- or under-expressing a specific protein. The lab is using these cell microarrays to understand how drugs with unknown mechanisms affect cells and to discover novel components of signaling systems. As part of this effort we are also developing image analysis software for use in cell based assays. In addition, we are founding members of The RNAi Consortium (TRC) and thus have access to genome scale RNAi libraries.

**DEPTOR- an mTOR interacting protein deregulated in multiple myeloma**
**Publication on PI3K and the response of tumors to dietary restriction**