The investigators in the Department of Pathology have continued to maintain
and grow their respective research programs. The Department has made major
inroads in its plans to enhance our research capacity, capability, productivity
and impact. To that effect, the Department has been able to build an enhanced
faculty complement (both basic and clinical), a significantly larger and more
comprehensive graduate program and a small but very productive research faculty.
At a recent retreat, Department members made a commitment to foster growth in
research. The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry has identified several areas
of research excellence including: Cancer; Heart Disease; Vascular Biology and
Respiration; Maternal/Fetal, Child and Family Health; Neuroscience and Mental
Health; Musculoskeletal Health; and Transplantation, Immunology, Infectious
Diseases and Diabetes. Researchers from the Department of Pathology are active
participants in a majority of these areas. Research in Pathology includes both investigator-driven research, initiated
by the core members of the department, and collaborative research with members
of other departments. Members of the Department of Pathology are involved with,
and key players in almost every signature program of the Schulich School of
Medicine & Dentistry. Listed below are a few specific research programs in
which the Department of Pathology is playing a major role. Transplant research Cancer research Vascular biology research Environmental pathology research Genetics research Research in Education Faculty research interests: Adams*: hemochromatosis, liver
diseases (*= indicates cross appointees)Areas of Research
Research in transplantation
(clinical and experimental) is one of our Department’s focus areas, and has
demonstrated strong growth during the last year. Dr. Bertha Garcia is the
Director of the core laboratory of the Multi-Organ Transplant Program’s (MOTP)
research arm which resides in Pathology. This group of researchers is funded
from CIHR, HSFO, MOTP, NIH, and other national and international organizations.
Research in this field has been very productive with a large number of
publications in high impact journals.
The Department of Pathology has
a strong presence in the field of cancer research in both the experimental and
clinical areas. The researchers in this area have received their funding from
CIHR, CBCF, ORF and other national and international organizations. Several
pathologists are also heavily involved in clinical trials. Department members
have produced many high quality publications in basic, clinical and
translational aspects of cancer research.
Vascular biology
researchers have focused their attention on chronic complications of diabetes,
cardiovascular and stem cell research This research has continued to receive
funding from CIHR, CDA and HSFO. Within this research program a close
interaction has been established research in signal transduction.
It is now
obvious that oxidative stress and its closely related cousin, nitrosative
stress, play significant roles in the initiation and/or the progression of many
chronic diseases. Pathology has a large number of researchers who are involved
in environmental pathology research and has established a graduate program in
ecosystem health. The research efforts have received funding from Assembly of
First Nations-Health Canada Environmental Contaminants Program Association of
Universities and Colleges of Canada, UWO international curriculum funds and most
recently, the IDRC.
The department has been
successful in recruiting and repatriating a highly qualified and seasoned
researcher in molecular pathology and cytogenetics from the USA. This will
further increase our research activity in this area.
Education research is also
a large part of our faculty commitment. Our faculty members continue to play key
roles in the development of innovative research methodologies and implement them
at all levels of education.
Ang: neurodegenerative and neurotoxic diseases, CNS
tumours
Bend: mechanisms of toxicity of endogenous and
exogenous chemicals, oxidative stress, attenuation of adverse drug reactions;
environmental toxicology in First Nations
Chakrabarti :
chronic diabetic complications, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic cardiomyopathy,
extracellular matrix proteins, epigenetics, natural
products
Chakraborty: intrauterine growth retardation
(IUGR), preeclampsia, tumour progression, cell
migration/invasion
Chambers*: molecular oncology -
mechanisms of tumour progression and metastasis
Daley: oral
pathology-salivary gland research, clinical
research
Darling: oral pathology-salivary gland research,
clinical research, salivary gland neoplasia, mucocutaneous
diseases
Driman: gastrointestinal, hepatic and
pancreaticobiliary pathology
Garcia: transplantation, animal
models, research in education
Gibson: neurochemical
pathology, CNS aging & neurodegeneration transmitter release; research in
communications and education
Hammond: cerebrovascular
disease, brain development, high field MRI/neuropathology correlates,
neuroinflammation, neuromuscular disease, brain tumour
biology
Karlik*: multiple sclerosis, experimental allergic
encephalomyelitis, apoptosis, chemokine signalling, integrin-mediated
neuroinflammation, spinal cord trauma
Khan: vascular stem
cells, vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, endothelial cells, perivascular cells,
diabetes, cancer, extracellular matrix
Knoll: molecular
cytogenetics, medical genetics, molecular and cancer genetics, genomics,
bioinformatics
Koropatnick*: Metallothionein and resistance
to radiation and chemotherapeutic drug treatment
McLachlin:
Cervical cancer screening, HPV
Min*: immunomudulation,
transplant tolerance, gene silencing, siRNA therapy
Peng*:
Cardiovascular disease, Heart failure
Strong*: Motor Neuron
Disease, Neurofilament Metabolism, Aluminum
Neurotoxicity
Tuck: Breast cancer, metastasis, progression,
cell and molecular biology, translational research
Wang*:
Immunomodulation, Transplant rejection,
Xenotransplantation
Zheng*: Immunomodulation, Transplant
rejection,
