Title:   
Professor

Institute:
McGill University, Montreal

Department:  
Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Center

Province:
Quebec

Training:  
PhD biochemistry

Research interests:
angiogenesis, metastasis, colon cancer

Career highlights:
Characterization and functions of CEA-related proteins, colon cancer susceptibility genes, tyrosine phosphatases 

Research Projects

Project title:
Genetic control of susceptibility to colon cancer development

Funding period: 
2010-2012

Program:
Operating Grant (Basic Research)

Summary:
Drs. Nicole Beauchemin and Philippe Gros are studying genes pre-disposing to the development of colon cancer in a mouse model to identify genes that could be used as markers identifying individuals or populations at risk of developing colon cancer. The identification and use of new markers for colon cancer in population screening would facilitate the early treatment of these patients and increase patients’ chances of survival in the long term. We have identified the Ccs3 gene interval (20 genes) for susceptibility to colon cancer in 28 unique strains of mice (AcB/BcA) by exposure to a carcinogen. Our first aim is to pinpoint which of the 20 candidate genes is responsible for colon cancer development by detecting possible mutations in these colon cancer genes. We will validate the gene candidate by creating mutant mice bearing different gene alterations and testing whether or not they develop colon tumors. We will then examine human normal colon and tumors to evaluate whether the human gene is mutated in primary clinical specimens of colorectal cancer.

CRS publications:

Andrea Kristina Horst, Wulf D Ito, Joachim Dabelstein, Udo Schumacher, Heike Sander, Claire Turbide, Jens Brümmer, Thomas Melnertz, Nicole Beauchemin,  Christoph Wagener. 2006. Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 modulates vascular remodeling in vitro and in vivo. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 116(6):1596-1605

Jenny M-Y Ho, Melody H-H Nguyen, Jamil K Dierov, Karla M Badger, Bryan K Beattie, Piero Tartaro, Rizwan Haq, Brent W Zanke, Martin P Caroll, and Dwayne L Barber. 2002. TEL-JAK2 constitutively activates the extracellular signaling-regulated kinase (ERK), stress-activated protein/Jun kinase (SAPK/JNK), and p38 signaling pathways. Blood, 100(4):1438-1448

Past CRS projects:

2010 Genetic control of susceptibility to colon cancer development.

2005 Involvement of CEACAM1 in tumor formation and metastasis.
 
2003 Involvement of CEACAM1 in tumor formation and metastasis.
 
1995 Involvement of mouse biliary glycoproteins (Bgp) in tumor development and metastasis.
 
1994 Involvement of CEACAM1 in tumor formation and metastasis.