Research Discipline(s): Basic
Primary Title: Professor and Associate Head, Dept of Pathology
Additional Titles & Affiliations: Professor, Dept of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Senior Scientist, Cancer Care Manitoba
RESEARCH TOPICS
Breast Cancer (TNBC), Metastasis|Biomarkers-Prolactin Inducible Protein (PIP), Claudin 1
Collaboration is key to success and moving ahead with research answers
Research Summary
Dr. Myal’s research program focuses on identifying breast/breast cancer biomarkers and understanding the biological role of these markers in the progression of breast cancer. Her lab uses several molecular biology approaches in conjunction with other strategies ranging from in vitro and ex vivo breast cancer cell/tissue cultures, to a number of clinically relevant transplantable breast cancer mouse models. Dr. Myal has a long standing interest in the prolactin inducible protein (PIP). Her laboratory developed the first PIP knockout (KO) mouse model, as well as the first transgenic and more recently, a first CRISPR PIP-KO mouse model to address the role of PIP in vivo. Her studies have revealed a dual functionality of PIP during breast cancer progression. These exciting observations have contributed to a deeper understanding and provided further insight into the role of PIP, not only in breast cancer progression, but in the metastatic process as well.
Goals
To understand the process of breast cancer metastasis and the factors involved that could lead to clinical enhancement and treatment.
Research Biography
Dr. Myal has a Bachelor of Science (Hons) from the University of Winnipeg. She completed her MSc and PhD with Dr. Robert Shiu, at the UM department of physiology where she developed skills in molecular biology. Her postdoctoral training was in physiology, where she garnered skills in mouse blastocysts injections and generating transgenic and knockout mouse models of breast cancer with the collaboration of Dr. M.L. Duckworth and Dr. Shiu. She then joined the department of pathology as a principal investigator and director of the Molecular Biology Diagnostic Laboratory. She currently oversees a breast cancer research program, with a primary focus on breast cancer biomarkers and triple negative breast cancers.
Dr. Myal is currently a professor and associate head in the department of pathology with a cross appointment in the department of physiology and pathophysiology and is a senior scientist at the CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute. She has served in many leadership roles including being chair on numerous committees at the Max Rady College of Medicine, UM and the wider community.
Dr. Myal’s research has been continuously supported by many provincial, national and international funding agencies. She is currently funded by NSERC, CIHR, and the Cancer Research Society.
Achievements
- https://umanitoba.ca/medicine/faculty-staff/yvonne-myal
- CIHR Synapse Award for contributions in promoting Science at the High School and Elementary School level (2012) Nominee
- Sanofi –Aventis Award for Excellence in student mentorship at the Elementary and High School level
- Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentorship, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Manitoba (Nominee, 2020)
- Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentorship, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Manitoba (Nominee, 2018)
- University of Manitoba Rh Award, for outstanding contribution to scholarship and research in the Health Science (2003)
- Career Development Research Award in Basic Science, Manitoba Medical Services Foundation (2003-2006)
- Ken Hughes Young Investigator Award (2003)
- University of Manitoba Merit Award for Research and Scholarship in the Sciences category (2006)
- University of Manitoba Merit Award for Research and Scholarship in the Sciences category (2003)
- New Investigator Establishment Award, Manitoba Health Research Council (1998-2001)
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Featured Publications
- Terceiro LEL, Edechi, CA Ikeogu NM, Nickel BE, Hombach-Klonisch S, Sharif T,Leygue E and Myal Y. The Breast Tumor Microenvironment: A Key Player in Metastatic Spread. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Sep 25;13(19):4798. doi:10.3390/cancers13194798.PMID: 34638283
- Terceiro LEL, Blanchard AAA, Edechi CA, Freznosa A, Triggs-Raine B, Leygue E, Myal Y. Generation of prolactin-inducible protein (Pip) knockout mice by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene engineering. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2021 Aug 11:1-6. doi: 10.1139/cjpp-2021-0306. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34379992.
- Edechi CA, Ikeogu NM, Akaluka GN, Terceiro LEL, Machado M, Salako ES, Barazandeh AF, Kung SKP, Uzonna JE, Myal Y. The Prolactin Inducible Protein Modulates Antitumor Immune Responses and Metastasis in a Mouse Model of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Front Oncol. 2021 Mar 12;11:639859. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.639859. PMID: 33777801; PMCID: PMC7994859.
- Edechi CA, Ikeogu N, Terceiro LEL, Uzonna JE and Myal Y. Metastasis: a bane of breast cancer therapy. European Medical Journal 2020; 5(3):55-62. doi: 10.33590/emj/20-00039.
- Edechi CA, Ikeogu N, Uzonna JE, Myal Y. Regulation of Immunity in Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2019 Jul 30;11(8). pii: E1080. doi: 10.3390/cancers11081080. Review. PMID: 3136613.
- Blanchard AA, Ma X, Wang N, Hombach-Klonisch S, Penner C, Ozturk A, Klonisch T, Pitz M, Murphy L, Leygue E, Myal Y. Claudin 1 Is Highly Upregulated by PKC in MCF7 Human Breast Cancer Cells and Correlates Positively with PKCε in Patient Biopsies. Translational Oncology. 2019;12(3):561–575. doi:10.1016/j.tranon.2018.12.011
- Ihedioha OC, Shiu RPC, Uzonna JE, Myal Y. Prolactin-Inducible Protein: From Breast Cancer Biomarker to Immune Modulator-Novel Insights from Knockout Mice. DNA and Cell Biology. 2016;35(10):537–541. doi:10.1089/dna.2016.3472 Featured on journal cover.
- Blanchard AA, Ma X, Dueck KJ, Penner C, Cooper SC, Mulhall D, Murphy LC, Leygue E, Myal Y. Claudin 1 expression in basal-like breast cancer is related to patient age. BMC Cancer. 2013;13:268. doi:10.1186/1471-2407-13-268 Earmarked by journal as highly accessed.
