Grant: Operating Grant

Cells are composed of millions of molecules working symbiotically to maintain a cellular balance. If broken, this fragile orchestration of events could potentially lead to chemical alterations of the cell and ultimately, following many uncontrolled molecular events, to cancer. Considering the expanding repertoire of proteins linked to cancers, it is indubitably critical to develop and use advanced techniques to study such molecules. These facts emphasize the needs for investment in basic research with a view to identifying novel targets to treat cancers and pioneering strategy to study them. That in mind, our laboratory has developed an innovating approach, which consists in combining structural biology, genomic and biochemical techniques to build the most accurate model for cancer development and by extension its treatment. Our work focuses on the elucidation of the molecular details eliciting cancer-related proteins and their structures, in other words, how a protein works. Our research program uses the information provided by protein structures, with a special focus on leukemia, to decipher and understand how this cancer is formed and how we can cure it. We believe that this work will lead to a better understanding of leukemia-related proteins and provide an initial canvas to develop new therapeutic molecules. By using these approaches, we are confident that we will be able to deepen our understanding on how leukemia evolves and its overall impact on cellular symbiosis. In sum, we will expand the knowledge on cancer-related molecules and initiate the process of therapeutic molecule identification and development. Overall, our work will benefit the Ottawa region, Ontario and Canada on two critical inter-related levels: health and fundamental science.