Over the years his research group made seminal discoveries in the field of lipid growth factors, in particular lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) which regulates numerous biological processes ranging from embryonic development to tumor progression. A major focus is now on the LPA-producing enzyme autotaxin (ATX), especially its role in the tumor immune microenvironment. He also made a major contribution to the development of ATX inhibitors as anti-cancer drugs to be tested in the clinic.