Leader: Anne-Marie Mes-Masson, PhD

Co-leader: Fred Saad, MD, FRCSC

Researchers

This multidisciplinary theme brings together clinicians, basic researchers and epidemiologists.  Its current activities are grouped into six sub-themes.

Treatment and chemoprevention, this sub-theme, plays a front line role through the development of new treatments and chemotherapies targeting many different tumoural sites (breast, ovaries, prostate, bladder, lungs, skin and kidneys).

Genetic and environmental risk factors, several research groups have consolidated their efforts to study genetic risk factors (genes implicated in genetic instability) and environmental (influence of lipid, retinoic acid and iron metabolism) for the development of breast, ovary, prostate and lung cancers.

Growth, apoptosis and angiogenesis: using cell culture and animal models, researchers study the signalling pathways involved in regulating cell growth and death and the migration and invasion of tumoural and endothelial cells.

Biology of tumoral cells: using DNA chips and tissues, several teams directly dissect the biology of tumoural cells through comprehensive screening and testing the expression of genes imvolved in tumour development and progression.

Immuno-oncology:  identification of new immunological targets in melanomas and hormone-dependent cancers, especially in breast cancer.

Molecular medicine: identification of new early molecular diagnosis and prognosis markers with genomics and proteomics technologies.