She examined the inhibitory signaling molecule TGF-β, which is found near the blood vessels of a tumor. Although the effects of TGF-β and how it restrains normal skin cell growth had been studied by researchers before Fuchs, she specifically looked at the intermediate steps of tumor progression by creating a TGF-β reporter system. She accomplished this by developing tumor cells that expressed a gene commonly found in skin cancer cells, HRasD12V.
She analyzed the inhibitory signaling molecule TGF-β, found near the blood vessels of a tumor. Although previous studies had explored the effects of TGF-β and its regulation of normal skin cell growth under Fuchs's direction, she examined the intermediary stages of tumor progression by developing a TGF-β reporter system. She achieved this by cultivating cancer cells that expressed HRasD12V.