Title:
Associate professor

Institute:
Université de Montréal

Department:
Institute of Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC)

Province:
Quebec

Training:
Postdoctoral fellow, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland
Postdoctoral fellow, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
PhD, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec
BSc, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec

Research interests:
Cell polarity, Asymmetric cell division, Stem cell proliferation

Recognitions:
Canada Research Chair in Cell Division and Differentiation

Research Projects

Project title:
Regulation of PAR-6 levels during cell polarity establishment and maintenance

Funding period: 
2011-2013

Program:
Operating Grant (Basic Research)

Summary:
Metastasis is an event that occurs when a group of cancer cells in a given tissue spread to surrounding or more distant tissues. While it is unknown what causes this phenomenon, one of the traits of cells that undergo metastasis is that they lose their bearings within their tissue and become unable to efficiently communicate with their immediate environment. Our laboratory works on the process of cell polarization, which provides cells with the proper framework to efficiently orient themselves and communicate with their surroundings. A group of proteins, called PAR proteins, is known to regulate cell polarity in many cell types. PAR proteins were originally identified in a small nematode worm called C. elegans where they function in a similar manner than in human cells. This is convenient because we can use this nematode to study the function of PAR proteins and then transpose the findings to human cells. The goal of this project is to use this nematode to characterize the function of novel genes that we found to be important to regulate the function of PAR proteins inside cells.