The Garnis Lab

Esquire Magazine has a profile on Roger Ebert and his struggles with head and neck cancer. He had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002 and then salivary gland cancer in 2006 and his disease recurred in 2006 (with some very dire consequences, described in the article). Given how familiar we are with Mr. Ebert, this recent picture (attached to the article) is a poignant reminder of the physical consequences that can be associated with this disease:

CNN has picked up on the Esquire article and also details some of the basics of head and neck cancers and other high profile individuals who have been afflicted by this condition. It is heartening that people might become more educated about head and neck cancers as a consequence of this publicity. Perhaps more profiles like this will lead at-risk individuals to go in for screening.

Posted in Media coverage
Tags: cancer, Cathie Garnis, CNN, ebert, esquire, Head & neck, Head and Neck, movies, oral, recurrence, roger, thyroid

Dr. Garnis recently contributed to a review article entitled “Integrating the multiple dimensions of genomic and epigenomic landscapes of cancer”. Raj Chari was the lead author and the piece was published at Cancer and Metastasis Reviews.

Large genomic, epigenomic, and gene expression datasets are now mainstays of molecular research. Analytical approaches to integrating these data are steadily improving. This review describes the state of work in this area and also delves into the high throughput functional tools that are available for validating results from integrated analysis.

(link, link)

Posted in Publications
Tags: Cathie Garnis, epigenomic, genomic, integrated, Raj Chari, RNAi, screen

(from L to R: Razan Sheta, Shevaun Hughes, Cathie Garnis)

This picture was taken during a Garnis Lab outing to the GE Ice Plaza at Robson Square.

(more info on the venue here)

Posted in Lab events
Tags: cathie, Garnis, GE, holiday, lab, Razan Sheta, rink, robson square, Shevaun Hughes

Tsui IF, Garnis C (2010) Integrative molecular characterization of head and neck cancer cell model genomes, Head & Neck, 32(9):1143-60.

(link, link)

Posted in Publications
Tags: A253, Cal27, cancer, Cathie Garnis, cell model, genomes, Head & neck, integrative, Ivy Tsui, molecular, SCC15, SCC25, SCC4, SCC9

Tsui IF, Garnis C, Poh CF (2009) A dynamic oral cancer field: unraveling the underlying biology and its clinical implication, American Journal of Surgical Pathology 33(11):1732-8.

(link, link)

Posted in Publications
Tags: Catherine Poh, Cathie Garnis, clonal, dysplasia, field effect, Ivy Tsui, lesion, oral cancer

The Garnis Lab is currently accepting applications for new graduate students. If you’re interested, please send your CV and transcripts to cgarnis at bccrc dot ca.

For more information about the graduate studies program associated with Dr. Garnis, please visit:

Interdisciplinary Oncology Program

UBC Experimental Medicine

Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Posted in Lab details
Tags: BC Cancer Research Centre, Cathie Garnis, graduate student

Vestibular Schwannomas (VS) are tumours arising from the vestibular portion of the eighth cranial nerve. Although VS are benign tumours and they usually present with hearing loss only in one ear, disease symptoms secondary to uncontrolled growth or secondary to treatment can be quite severe; larger tumors can cause compression of the brainstem, leading to symptoms associated with increased cranial pressure and death. Existing treatments, while effective in controlling tumour growth (radiotherapy) or in removing tumours (microsurgery), place a heavy burden on the patient and may cause additional nerve damage. Hearing cannot be restored. New targeted therapies that are able to eliminate the tumor in a less morbid manner may also be able to restore hearing upon tumor shrinkage. Molecular analysis of VS represents the best approach for identifying these new potential targets. My research focuses on identifying the molecular mechanism of VS growth.

Posted in Lab details
Tags: Razan Sheta, research technician, Vestibular Schwannoma