Faculty Members - Experimental Oncology Graduate Program UofA

Faculty Members Currently Qualified to Supervise Graduate Students

Dr. Kristi Baker	Our lab studies differences in how the specialized mucosal immune in the intestine sees tumors with different patterns of genomic instability and how this translates into different forms of anti-tumor immune responses. More...
Dr. Vickie Baracos	Metabolism in wasting disorders: skeletal muscle atrophy and cancer-associated cachexia. A number of pathological states may be defined as wasting disorders - several examples include cancer, AIDS, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. My research program focuses on the metabolic abnormalities that underlie this wasting, particularly of the skeletal muscles. More...
Dr. Gordon Chan	In my laboratory, research is centered on the mechanism of cell cycle control and particularly the regulation of accurate, chromosome segregation during mitosis. The mitotic checkpoint is a failsafe mechanism by which the cell prevents premature anaphase and ensures accurate chromosome segregation. By investigating the molecular mechanism of the mitotic checkpoint, we can better evaluate these genes as potential cancer drug targets as well as contributing to the basic understanding of cancer.More
Dr. Yangxin Fu	The objective of the Fu laboratory is to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying ovarian tumorigenesis, with a particular interest in the role of Notch signaling pathway in ovarian cancer development and progression. More...
Dr. Armin Gamper	My research examines how cells respond to genotoxic stress, how aberrant regulation of these response pathways affects tumorigenesis and how the DNA damage response can be targeted by drugs to improve radiation or chemotherapy. By studying the influence of genetic factors on the DNA damage response, I hope to discover diagnostic and predictive biomarkers that can be applied for personalized medicine. My approach integrates protein chemistry, proteomics, reverse chemical genetics, molecular and cell biological methods, and animal models. More...
Dr. Roseline Godbout	Retinoblastoma, a childhood tumour of the retina, results from malignant transformation of precursor cells. Retinal precursors are multipotent neuroectodermal cells that can differentiate into all the different types of neuronal and glial cells that make up the mature tissue. There are currently two major projects in the lab. The first is to study the function and regulation of genes that are expressed at the early stages of retinal development. The second is to study the role of the DEAD box gene DDX1, encoding an RNA unwinding protein, in normal retinal development and in retinoblastoma. More...
Dr. Michael Hendzel	In my laboratory, we are examining how chromatin and regulatory molecules are compartmentalized within the cell nucleus. Our current research programs involve defining the dynamics of movement of chromatin, subnuclear structures involved in compartmentalizing regulatory molecules that act on chromatin and RNA, and the movement of individual regulatory molecules within the cell nucleus. We have found that most molecules move considerably slower than expected for their molecular weight. More...
Dr. Ismail Ismail	More...
Dr. Mary Hitt	My research focuses on the development of gene therapy vectors that minimize these side effects without compromising anticancer activity. Currently we are investigating adenovirus vectors carrying modified fiber proteins and/or tissue-specific promoters to target expression of toxic genes specifically to the tumor. More...
Dr. John Lewis	We study prostate cancer, the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canadian men. Our goal is to foster an environment where scientists, doctors and clinical researchers work together to address key challenges in prostate cancer care. As a team, we hope to accelerate the transfer of research discoveries from the "bench to the bedside" to make an impact on those living with cancer. More...
Dr. David Murray	The basic research in my laboratory focuses on understanding the basic mechanisms by which mammalian cells respond to ionizing radiation and DNA-damaging anticancer drugs, with an emphasis on DNA-repair pathways. My major area of translational research interest is in identifying the genetic factors (polymorphisms) that determine the extreme response of some cancer patients to anticancer therapeutics such as radiation therapy and cisplatin-based chemotherapy. More...
Dr. Lynne-Marie Postovit	One of our major goals is to see the work that we do in the lab translate into new treatments or early detection methods for cancer patients: We want to translate our scientific results into clinical practice. More....
Dr.Alan Underhill	The Underhill laboratory is interested in deciphering how master regulators of melanocyte development contribute to melanoma pathogenesis. In addition, we are also examining how histone modifications regulate the balance between cell proliferation and differentiation, and how this is overridden in cancer.. More....
Dr. Michael Weinfeld	Several years ago we developed a postlabelling assay that allowed us to detect a number of lesions in irradiated DNA. We have applied this assay to the study of drugs that enhance the level of DNA damage in radioresistant and chemotherapy-resistant hypoxic cells. We observed that these drugs can mimic oxygen by producing DNA strand breaks with specific termini that require additional processing before the strands can be rejoined. We have also made use of the assay to monitor the repair of these lesions by purified enzymes and cell-free extracts. More....
Dr. Frank Wuest	My research is embedded in the multidisciplinary field of translational cancer research. Research efforts are mainly aimed at the evaluation and translation of the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of novel molecular targets involved in the development and progression of cancer by means of molecular imaging techniques to enhance patient care. More....