Molecular & Cell Biology

My research focuses on the use of current molecular genetics techniques to aid in the diagnosis of both rare and common genetic disorders.  Additionally, one of my goals is the implementation of new and improved methods to better the diagnostic yield, including the earlier diagnosis of very young (i.e. NICU) complex cases that are likely to have a genetic etiology.

I run a cardiovascular biology lab investigating molecular and cellular mechanisms of atherosclerosis and fibrotic heart disease.

My laboratory investigates the basic cellular pathways and processes that maintain proper growth and differentiation in tissues under the control of sex hormones.  We develop vitro models originating from normal primary human cells derived from patient biopsies to address basic questions in both breast and ovarian carcinogenesis.

My lab studies the human fastidious enteric adenoviruses (HAdV-40 and 41), with a primary focus on their unique structural features and the role of these features as determinants of gut tropism. Related projects include the development of HAdV-40/41 as vaccine vectors and the study of antiviral agents for treatment of adenovirus infection.    

In the basic science sphere our studies focus on the role and function of pulmonary neuroendocrine cells particularly their cellular and molecular mechanisms of O2 /CO2 sensing ; in the clinical research our studies focus on molecular mechanisms of congenital enteropathies,disorders of surfactant metabolism and  novel forms of cardiomyopathies

My research program focuses on discovering and elucidating the molecular signaling pathways involved in the development of the mammalian inner ear. The goal of the laboratory is to connect developmental biology to inner ear diseases and ultimately to regenerative medicine for the amelioration of hearing and balance disorders.

Dr. Dennis has been studying metastasis for decades. One of his current projects focuses on cancer cell metabolism, and how cancer cells consume more energy, grow aberrantly, and spread throughout the body.

My laboratory focuses on developing integrated systems biology and functional genomics approaches to: (1) understanding molecular mechanisms of acute multiple organ failure (HEART and LUNG) in the critically ill (sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS), and (2) developing an “informed” approach to the discovery of novel molecular targets for therapy including stem cell and gene therapy.

Kidney and prostate cancer.   Molecular pathogenesis, biomarkers for predicting disease progression, clinical behaviour in relation to histopathological and molecular characteristics of kidney and prosatte cancers, pathologic evaluation of tumour tissue following new innovations in treatment (ablative and targeted molecular therapies).

Using a range of molecular, cell biology, animal and clinical approaches my laboratory conducts research into the pathogenesis of diabetes complications with the overriding aim of developing new therapies to prevent and treat them. 

I am a cardiovascular pathologist with expertise in the study of cardiac valve disease and atherosclerosis.  I am interested in understanding the pathogenesis of these human diseases in order to propose therapeutic targets that prevent, detect and/or treat these conditions.

We are interested in the structural aspects of components of the Hedgehog pathway that generate the diversity of cellular responses to the Hedgehog ligands in normal cells, during mammary gland development and in transformed (cancer) cells.

Molecular mechanisms underlying long term effects of brain trauma, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and Seizure disorder.

Research interests include: respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) receptor discovery and drug targeting; determinants of asthma and allergy in children; lung pathology; respiratory virus-host interactions.

My main research areas include cryopreservation and in vitro maturation of human gametes, embryos and gonadal tissue. Culture conditions and the effects of growth factors and supplements have also been a major part of my research activities.

Molecular regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation & differentiation.  Tissue-specific transgene regulation informs molecular pathophysiology.  Genetic & experimental models of cardiovascular disease.  Clinical & experimental cardiovascular imaging.  Acute cardiac care.

Research in my laboratory has been focused on the development of genetic strategies for HIV prevention and treatment. To treat HIV-infected individuals, we are developing gene therapy whereby patients own blood cells will be genetically modified to secrete antiviral proteins that would inhibit HIV infection of target cells for life.

My research aims to understand the key molecular pathways responsible for neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease and to develop novel therapies by targetting these pathways.

Dr. Kapoor's research program is directed towards understanding the complex pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA) and identifying new therapeutic strategies to counteract the destruction of the articular cartilage during OA.

Dr. Katz’s research interests span across all areas of Infection Prevention and Control. Areas of special interest include: Infection prevention and control in a community hospital setting, Community-associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Influenza and febrile respiratory illness.

My research is focussed on basic, translational and clinical aspects of the placental complications of pregnancy, with a focus on severe pre-eclampsia and intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR).

Using specialized microscopy and morphometric methods together with biochemical and genetic evaluations of human brain tissue samples our aim is to evaluate selective cellular and protein vulnerability patterns in human neurodegenerative conditions with movement disorders and cognitive decline and brain aging.

Our laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms at play in the tug-of-war between viruses and the host. We want to understand how certain retroviruses enter cells and are then antagonized by innate immune molecules. Immunological recognition and restriction of viral pathogens is fundamental for fighting infectious disease.

We have identified the molecules tissue factor and fgl2/fibroleukin, which are membrane associated serine proteases. These molecules play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis of viral hepatitis (fgl2/fibroleukin), allo- and xenograft rejection (tissue factor and fgl2).

Complement-based kidney diseases and the translational aspects involved through clinical and basic reseach    

I have a research program in the field of cellular and molecular regulation of endothelial gene expression. The lab is focused on understanding the contribution of endothelial cells to human health and disease. We are especially motivated towards understanding the contribution of important endothelial genes to disease processes and novel aspects of how endothelial genes are regulated.

Dr. McCulloch has defined critical signaling systems that regulate periodontal and cardiac connective tissues. The ultimate goal of his research is to define new therapies for periodontal and cardiovascular disorders. Since 2006, Dr. McCulloch has trained >50 undergraduate and graduate students, and generated over 70 peer-reviewed publications, has two patent applications and has won several major scientific awards.

We study how the NLRP1 inflammasome detects the metabolic stress that is caused by infections.  We are also investigating the entry mechanism of anthrax toxin.

My current research interest is in molecular biology of breast and gynaecologic malignancies and in the discovery and implementation of predictive and prognostic biomarkers.

My research focuses on identification of genomic copy number variants associated with developmental disorders and development of new tests to improve diagnosis of the genetic disorders. I am also interested in implementing new genomic technologies in the clinical setting. In our laboratory, we use high density microarray and other cytogenomic and molecular tests for prenatal and perinatal diagnosis.

Molecular mechanisms of cancer: understanding the role of tumour suppressors and oncoproteins in cancer biology

His interests include studies on T cell immunoregulation in HIV and HCV infection, molecular adjuvants for vaccination, pDC-virus interactions, and the role of endogenous retroviruses in HIV infection. 

Physician practice patterns in transfusion medicine, transfusion support of hemoglobinopathies, safety and efficacy of blood components and fractionated plasma products, transfusion practice in rural and underserviced communities. 

Dr. Poutanen is a clinician-investigator interested in applied research as it relates to the contemporary field of medical microbiology and infectious diseases.

The focus of our research is to study the cause(s) and cure(s ) of  Amyotrophic Lateral Scelrosis.

We study Alzheimer’s disease and prion disorders, pursuing the hypothesis that early diagnostics and disease intervention strategies will emerge from an in-depth understanding of etiologies. To this end, we focus on (1) molecular events that promote the formation of toxic Aβ assemblies, (2) how the presence of Aβ causes perturbations in the biology of Tau, and (3) how disease-associated conformers of Tau or PrP cause cells to die.

Our laboratory characterizes breast and prostate cancer biomarkers that have diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Functional testing of these biomarkers is done to understand molecular mechanisms of human tumorigenesis. New molecular therapies arising from our mechanistic understanding of cancer development are tested in a clinically relevant patient-derived tumor xenografted mouse model.

Our research activities focus on discovering novel methods to prevent and treat intestinal injury in humans and enhance the quality-of-life and health of Canadians.

Dr Somers has an ongoing interest in the improvement of pediatric pathology diagnostics, including the detection of genetic changes in pediatric sarcomas and their clinical applications. As part of this interest, he is currently focused on the application and implementation of cutting edge diagnostic techniques to pediatric sarcomas, including array-based assays, nanotechnology and sequence-based technologies.

Pediatric pathology, pediatric renal disease, pediatric tumours 

My research interests include neoplastic and preneoplastic gynecologic diseases and breast cancer. The goal of my research is to better understand the biology of rare special subtypes of breast cancer as well as precursor lesions and malignant neoplasms of the uterine cervix and endometrium, and generate insights to inform the practice of Gynecologic and Breast Pathology.

Three approaches are taken to study miRNA function in transgenic mice expressing miR-17, versican 3’UTR, which can bind endogenous miRNAs and relieve mRNAs for translation, and anti-miR-378 construct.     

The research conducted by Dr Yeger encompasses the physiological functions and development of the pulmonary neuroendocrine cell system and role in lung biology. Extensions from these studies have been made into the pathobiology of Cystic Fibrosis lung disease and neuroendocrine cancers.  

We are using mouse models, cell and molecular biology and bioinformatics to identify mechanisms of cancer initiation, progression and metastasis, that can be exploited for novel therapy.  We focus on breast and brain cancers, the tumor suppressors Rb, Pten and p53 as well as the HER2 oncogene. We are also studying the effect of the Rb pathway on aging.