Interrogating the RNA to find new cancer treatments
Our lab uses high-throughput sequencing data and experimental validations to find RNA variations involved in normal tissue development or in cancer.
Using variations in RNA splicing patterns, it is possible to discover molecular
signals missed with other approaches. Over the years, transcriptomic analyses
have provided key insight on questions encompassing the fields of
autism spectrum disorders and cancer. For example, transcriptomic
analyses revealed that:
- A program of alternative RNA splicing events is causally linked to a large fraction of autism spectrum disorder cases - see Irimia et al. 2014, Quesnel-Vallières et al. 2016
- A large array of diverse tumour types share common molecular patterns characterized by the deregulation of RNA processing - see Jha, Quesnel-Vallières et al. 2022
Vision
The lab officially launched in September 2023. Our research is driven by a combination of computional analyses to generate hypotheses and experimental work to describe biological functions. We believe that studying RNA splicing will uncover new therapeutic avenues for cancer. We also believe that the role of RNA-binding proteins is heavily underestimated in immune cell development and function.
Funding
The lab is supported by a Next Generation of Scientists Award from the Cancer Research
Society as well as startup funds from the Université de Sherbrooke and CRCHUS.
