Home
Research
Microarray Services
Publications
Presentations
Research Support
People
Site Map
|
Dr.
Basik’s laboratory is part of the Montreal Centre
for Experimental Therapeutics in Cancer, located at the Jewish General
Hospital
and thus part of the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research. Dr.
Basik is a
surgical oncologist, and member of the Depts of Oncology and Surgery at
McGill
University.
The laboratory’s area of interest is investigating gene
expression and DNA
changes in breast and colon cancers. Using modern microarray
technology, we are
investigating the relationship between DNA copy number changes and gene
expression across the genome in both cell lines and primary tumors. One
goal is
to find genes that are overexpressed as well as amplified in these
cancers.
These genes will then be candidate targets for novel anti-cancer
therapies.
They will be functionally validated using small interfering RNA
approaches, and
clinically validated using tissue microarrays constructed at the
laboratory.
Another goal is to discover novel tumor suppressor genes using a
combination of
microarray technologies and manipulations of the nonsense-mediated RNA
decay
system. Both novel tumor suppressor genes and amplified genes will also
be
studied as potential new diagnostic markers in breast and colon cancer.
We have
a special focus on markers of breast cancer metastasis, specifically
chemokines
and their receptors (CXCR4). We are also investigating mechanisms of
resistance
to novel biologics such as herceptin. Finally we are part of the FRSQ
Reseau de
Cancer axe cancer du sein/ovaire, and as such are actively
participating in a
province-wide breast tumor banking as well as placing primary breast
tumor into
primary culture. A particular interest is stromal-epithelial
interactions
active in breast tumor biology. |