Dr. Paola Marignani, MSc, PhD
Appointments:
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Senior Scientist, Atlantic Research Centre
Affiliations:
Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine
Research Interests:
understanding how protein kinase and tumour suppressor proteins are involved in mediating disease.
Harnessing tumour suppressors against disease
Dr. Paola Marignani studies how protein kinases and tumour suppressor proteins are involved in mediating disease, in particular cancer. When functioning normally, these proteins prevent cancers from forming. Dr. Marignani and her research team have discovered that when the tumour suppressor kinase LKB1 is mutated, it becomes cancer-causing. These findings were published as a priority report in the prestigious journals, Cancer Research and Cancer Biology and Therapy. Using a system biology approach, Dr. Marignani has developed new technologies to discover novel LKB1 signalling networks. She has uncovered novel proteins that communicate with LKB1, shedding light on LKB1’s role in the development and progression of cancer. Her ultimate goal is to develop a strategy to repair damages to the LKB1 signalling network, thus allowing the tumour suppressor protein to regain a genomic surveillance cancer-fighting role.
