Title:
Professor

Institute:
McGill University, Montreal

Department:
Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Center

Province:
Quebec

Training:
Postdoctoral Fellow, Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
PhD, Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
BSc, Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

Research interests:
Assessing the role of various molecules involved in inducing the proliferation of breast and prostate cancer cells in the context of living organism.

Recognitions:
2002-2009: CRC Chair in Molecular Oncology, McGill University

Career highlights:
Dr. Muller is recognized as one of the leaders in the development of transgenic mouse models of human breast cancer.  In recognition of his important contributions to the development and characterization of these transgenic mouse models of human breast cancer, Dr. Muller was recently awarded a CRC chair in Molecular Oncology at McGill University.

Research Projects

Project title:
Role of Akt family signaling in ErbB2 mammary tumour progression

Funding period:  
2010-2012

Program:
Operating Grant (Basic Research)

Summary:
The current proposal deals with understanding the role of the Akt family of serine kinases in breast cancer progression. The results of these studies will help define the relative contribution of these closely related kinases to tumour initiation and metastasis. Given the recent development of small molecule inhibitors by many different pharmaceutical companies directed towards the Akt family, the results of these studies will provide important pre-clinical mouse models to evaluate their efficacy. The results of these CRS sponsored studies will enable better treatment for eradication of this prevalent but poorly understood human cancer.

CRS publications:

Dourdin, N., Schade, B., Lesurf, R., Hallett, M., Munn, R.J., Cardiff,. R,D. and Muller, W. J. (2008). PTEN deficiency accelerates tumour induction in a mouse model of ErbB-2 mammary tumourigenesis. Cancer Res. 68: 2122-2131.

Dillon, R.L., Marcotte, R., Hennesy, B.T. Woodget, J.R., Mills, G.B. and Muller W.J. (2009). Akt1 and Akt2 play distinct roles in the initiation and metastatic phases of mammary tumor progression. Cancer Research 69: 5057-5064.

Schade, B. , Rao, T.,Dourdin, N., Lavoie, C., Cardiff, R.D., and Muller W. J. (2009).PTEN deficiency in luminal MMTV erbB-2 mouse model results in dramatic acceleration of mammary tumorigenesis and metastasis. J. Biol. Chem. 284: 19018-19026.

Past CRS projects:

2008 Role of the tumor supressor PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin homolog deleted on chromosome Ten) in ErbB-2 induced mammary tumorigenesis

2007 Proteomic analyses of molecular complexes involved in metastatic progression

2006 Role of the tumor supressor  PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin homolog deleted on chromosome T en ) in ErbB-2 induced mammary tumorigenesis

1997 Genetic analyses of mamary tumor development in transgenic mice expressing the PyV middle T oncogene

1994 Molecular Mechanism of Neu Induced Mammary Tumorigenesis