Research Discipline(s): Basic, Translational
Primary Title: Principal Investigator, Stem cells & Microenvironment laboratory
Additional Titles & Affiliations: Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology, University of Manitoba
RESEARCH TOPICS
Blood Cancers, Stem Cells, Microenvironment, Therapeutics
CancerCare Manitoba
675 McDermot Ave, Office # ON5029
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9
Canada
Cancer research generates hope. Success is putting a smile on a patient's face
Research Summary
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Chemoresistance and relapse represent the most important clinical challenges for patients with acute leukemia, given that the therapeutic options for relapsed disease remain limited and rarely curative. My translational research program is based upon the rationale that the eradication of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) is essential for achieving long-term remission and that extrinsic factors from the microenvironment, including the immune system, play a key role in the pathogenesis, progression and therapeutic response in acute leukemia.
My translational research program has three key convergent axes: (1) normal and malignant hematopoietic stem cells, (2) microenvironment in leukemia progression and relapse, and (3) therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes for patients by targeting unique and previously unknown biological weaknesses in acute leukemia.
My comprehensive approach aims to uncover key mechanisms of drug resistance and consequently identify novel biomarkers for predicting therapy response or relapse, thereby leading to an extremely significant improvement in the current therapeutic strategies for high-risk subtypes of acute leukemia.
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Goals
My professional objective is to deliver more effective treatment options with limited side effects for patients living with acute leukemia.
Research Biography
I completed my PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology (Medicine) at Laval University, Canada and was awarded the prestigious Excellence prize in Pediatric Research from the Foundation of Stars in 2008.
I was awarded a Terry Fox Foundation fellowship from the Canadian Cancer Society for my postdoctoral work on the collaboration between oncogenes and signaling pathways in acute leukemia, at the Université de Montréal, Canada. In 2011, I joined Monash University, Australia to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of malignant stem cells.
I was appointed as a research fellow in 2015, after receiving a Grant-in Aid from the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia to establish a research program focused on the molecular mechanisms driving disease progression and relapse in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL).
In 2022, I joined the CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute (CCMR) and the University of Manitoba as an assistant professor in the Department of Immunology. My current research program utilizes single-cell multi-omic approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms that control the fate of normal and malignant hematopoietic stem cells.
Achievements
- List coming soon
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Featured Publications
- O’Connor KW, […] Tremblay CS, and Kelliher MA. The role of quiescent thymic progenitors in TAL/LMO2-induced T-ALL chemotolerance. Leukemia. 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41375-024-02232-8.
- Tremblay CS, et al. STAT5 activation promotes progression and chemotherapy resistance in early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood. 2023; 142(3):274-289.
- Tremblay CS, et al. Small molecule inhibition of Dynamin-dependent endocytosis targets multiple niche signals and impairs leukemia stem cells. Nat Commun. 2020; 11 (1):6211.
- Tremblay CS, et al. Restricted cell cycle is essential for clonal evolution and therapeutic resistance of pre-leukemic stem cells. Nat Commun. 2018; 9 (1) :3535.
- Tremblay CS, et al. Loss-of-function mutations of Dynamin 2 promote T-ALL by enhancing IL-7 signalling. Leukemia. 2016; 30(10):1993-2001.
