Title:   
Senior Scientist

Institute:
University Health Network / Ontario Cancer Institute, Toronto

Department:  
Applied Molecular Oncology

Province:
Ontario

Training:  
BA, MA, PhD, FACMG

Research interests:
Identifying Biomarkers of Cancer Initiation, Progression and Recurrence; Developing new molecular genetic tests for clinical use using emerging technologies and relevant biomarkers to bridge the gap between research discovery and clinical application; Elucidating the role of variant translocations in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

Research Projects

Project title:  
New prognostic markers in mantle cell lymphoma

Funding period:  
2010-2012

Program:
Operating Grant (Basic Research)

Summary:
Mantle cell lymphoma is a blood cancer. Patients with this disease live an average of 3 years. Some patients do well with simple treatments but most patients are treated with strong chemotherapy that can have many side effects, yet they are still not cured. Current tests may be helpful but are not good predictors of survival, meaning new markers need to be studied. Abnormal amounts of molecules known as microRNAs can cause cancer. We will study whether the amount of microRNAs in mantle cell lymphoma is different from normal, and whether microRNAs can predict patient survival. If a set of microRNAs can help divide patients into different groups, for different therapies, we can identify patients that may benefit from strong chemotherapy, and those that may do well with simpler treatment. We expect that amounts and types of microRNAs in mantle cell lymphoma will predict patient survival, and that certain microRNAs are involved in the development of more aggressive forms of mantle cell lymphoma.

Past CRS projects:

2006 Biomarkers of Progression in Oral Carcinoma.

2006 Identification of novel transcriptional targets of the acute promyelocytic leukemia fusion proteins PML-RARalpha  and PLZF-RARalpha.
 
2003 In vivo and in vitro models of APL.