Gorenchtein M, Poh CF, Saini R, Garnis C (2011). MicroRNAs in an Oral Cancer Context – from Basic Biology to Clinical Utility, J Dent Res, 91(5):440-6.
New Garnis Lab Publication!
•27 January 2012 • Comments OffGarnis Lab Graduate Student: Jamil Manji
•7 June 2011 • Comments Off
Jamil Manji has joined the Garnis Lab as an MSc student. He is being co-supervised by Dr. Amin Javer. We will update with a description on his project soon. Welcome Jamil!
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UPDATE (Jamil’s research interests):
Jamil (BScHon. University of Western Ontario) is conducting clinical research into the development of naturopathic therapies for patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS). Rhinosinusitis is a group of disorders characterized by inflammation of the mucosa of the nose and paranasal sinuses. CRS is rhinosinusitis of at least 12 consecutive weeks’ duration.
CRS affects more than 3 million Canadians and is among the top 10 most commonly diagnosed medical conditions in Canada. The fact that conventional oral antimicrobial therapy is frequently ineffective in eradicating bacteria in the biofilm form has led to the study of topical therapies. However, the use of antibiotics is not without risk, as there has been an increasing prevalence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and there is always the possibility of allergic reactions. The need for novel therapies has renewed interest in natural products exhibiting antibacterial, anti-inflammatory properties.
Jamil’s bench research includes identification of inflammatory cytokine profiles in CRS patients and quantitative analysis of biofilm colonies by confocal scanning laser microscopy using a PNA-FISH platform.
Garnis Lab Summer Student: James Lawson
•31 May 2011 • Comments Off
This busy summer at the Garnis Lab also finds James Lawson joining the team as a Summer Student. James is an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph (majoring in Molecular Biology and Genetics). He has taken it upon himself to develop his molecular biology bench skills while returning home to British Columbia this summer.
We’re very glad to see you getting your feet wet James!
Garnis Lab Graduate Student: Sara Maclellan
•30 May 2011 • Comments Off
The Garnis Lab happily welcomes Sara Maclellan as a new graduate student. She comes to us direct from Nova Scotia (St. Francis Xavier University). Sara is already hard at work in the lab, learning the skills she’ll need to pursue her independent research studies going forward. We’ll add an update on her specific project in the near future.
Glad to see you in the fray Sara!
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UPDATE (Sara’s research interests):
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The poor survival rates among lung cancer patients are due to the frequent diagnosis of late stage (i.e. inoperable) disease. Because early stage lung cancers are more treatable, the development of a screening program for high risk individuals could drastically increase the survival rates of lung cancer patients. To develop a screening program, reliable biomarkers that can easily be detected are required.
MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression. Some microRNAs have already been shown to be involved in many oncogenic processes and recent studies have shown that microRNAs are stably expressed in human serum and plasma samples. My current research focuses on examining the usefulness of microRNAs circulating in blood (serum or plasma) as biomarkers for either early detection of lung cancer or assessment of tumor progression likelihood. If such blood biomarkers can be identified, they will aid significantly in the diagnosis and management of lung cancer.
The Garnis Lab (May 2011)
•30 May 2011 • Comments Off
From L to R: Shevaun Hughes, Rajan Saini, James Lawson, Angie Chu, Jamil Manji, Becki Towle, Cathie Garnis, Sara Maclellan, Mike Gorenchtein.
Garnis Lab post-doctoral fellow: Rajan Saini
•24 February 2011 • Comments Off
The Garnis Lab welcomes Rajan Saini as a post-doctoral fellow! Rajan completed his PhD at the National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, where he investigated the association of human papillomavirus with oral cancer. Additionally, he was a Lecturer in the field of Oral Pathology and Medicine at the Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Now at the BCCRC, Rajan’s research interests include oncogenesis of oral cancers (especially the role of microRNAs in this process), biomarker development for early detection of oral cancers, and development of naturopathic therapies for chronic oral diseases (including oral cancer/precancer).
Welcome to the team Rajan!
Support from the Terry Fox Foundation/Terry Fox Research Institute (Fall 2010 Competition – New Investigator Award)
•26 November 2010 • Comments Off
The Garnis Lab is extremely grateful to the Terry Fox Foundation/Terry Fox Research Institute for its decision to provide funding for a project entitled ‘Circulating microRNAs as a lung tumour proxy: determining whether a small RNA species in plasma can be used as an early cancer detection tool’. This 3 year New Investigator award is doubly exciting because it offers the opportunity to participate in a wider cross country lung cancer screening project that could significantly impact the way we approach this disease. (Additional information on this project can be found at this link – Early Detection of Lung Cancer: A Pan-Canadian Study.)
We are very excited about being a part of this important work!
Details on the Terry Fox Foundation can be found here. Details on the Terry Fox Research Institute can be found here.
UPDATE: The TFRI website now has details of all the individuals across Canada who received this award. You can find this information here.
