Title:
Assistant professor

Institute:
Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal

Department:
Department of Pathology and Cell Biology

Province:
Quebec

Training:
Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Biology/Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
PhD, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
MSc, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
BSc, Department of Biology, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada

Research interests:
Chromosomes, cell cycle, DNA repair

Recognitions and awards:
Canada Research Chair (2010-1015)
Chercheur Boursier Junior II FRSQ (Declined)

Career highlights:
Canada Research Chair (initial nomination and renewal)
Editorial Board Member for ISRN Molecular Biology
Co-organizer of the "Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology Research Retreat", Mont Gabriel, June 11-13, 2007

Research Projects

Project title:
Roles of cancer-associated kinases in cell cycle progression

Funding period:
2011-2013

Program:
Operating Grant (Basic Research)

Summary:
Most physiological processes in cells are regulated by enzymes known as protein kinases. These enzymes act by adding a small negative charge on proteins, a phosphate group. A large fraction of cancers are caused by misregulation of protein kinases.
Discovering the specific functions of kinases in both normal and cancer cells is difficult because kinase inactivation often kills cells. Consistent with this, our understanding of the specific functions of key cell division kinases has been severely limited by our inability to identify mutants – or alternative versions of kinases – with defective enzymatic activity. In order to elucidate the precise roles of protein kinases in cancer, it is necessary to develop novel approaches to control kinase activity in live cells. We have developed a novel way to modulate the activity of protein kinases in living cells. Our main objective in this grant proposal is to use this system to dissect the various molecular functions of the conserved kinases required for cell proliferation.