Website: http://www.iric.ca/Recherche/Chercheurs/Therrien_M.html

Research involves

Studying the mechanistic aspects of intra-cellular signalling events and identifying and characterizing the functions of novel components that regulate signalling flow through the RAS/MAPK pathway.

Research relevance

The research will identify new therapeutic targets and open new research avenues for anti-cancer therapies.

Regulating Cell Proliferation

Cells use complex networks of molecules to transduce extracellular signals from the cell membrane to the nucleus. Marc Therrien's research unit makes use of the powerful tools that Drosophila (fruit fly) genetics offer, together with techniques of biochemistry and molecular and cell biology, to identify and characterize the function of novel signalling components of the ras pathway, which is essential in transmitting cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival signals.

The ras protein is a central regulator of cell proliferation. This critical role is illustrated by the fact that around 30 percent of all cancers in humans are associated with activating mutations in one of the three ras genes. Ras protein governs cell proliferation primarily by sending signals through the so-called MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway. Using large-scale genetic screens and protein purification-identification schemes in the fruit fly, Dr. Therrien hopes to obtain an exhaustive picture of the molecular components as well as their function in mediating signals through this pathway. Given the high conservation of basic signalling mechanisms among multi-cellular organisms, this work has a high probability of identifying new targets or pointing to novel research avenues for anti-cancer therapies.

The mechanistic aspects of intra-cellular signalling events are a central theme in Dr. Therrien's research. Although numerous signalling pathways have been identified to date, we still have a very limited understanding of their respective inner workings. This situation stems largely from the fact that, for most of these pathways, only partial sets of the molecular actors have currently been identified.

Dr. Therrien's Chair is part of a cluster of Canada Research Chairs that make up the core of the Université de Montréal's Institute of Research in Immunovirology and Cancerology (IRIC), which holds a unique place in the area of immune response and cancer in Canada and among pioneers worldwide.