Biography

Cancer Research is my passion. In recent years, I have focused my research activities on breast and brain cancer. I am a member of the Breast Cancer group and the Brain Tumor Research Alliance Manitoba (BTRAM) at the University of Manitoba. I have a keen interest in discovering more effective anticancer therapies, with a particular interest in developing novel treatment strategies. I utilize mouse model systems but such animal models have limitations for some human cancers, in particular brain cancer. Thus, we are employing methods to isolate brain tumor cells directly from patients and have generated an extensive brain tumor cell resource. This invaluable resource allows us to address important questions related to gliomagenesis, stem/ progenitor cell plasticity, cellular heterogeneity within human brain tumors and mechanisms of tissue invasion and metastasis of adult brain tumors. Academic Qualifications Habilitation, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, 2000 Certified Anatomist, German Anatomical Society, Würzburg, Germany, 1999 M.D., Justus-Liebig University (JLU) Giessen, Medical School, Germany, 1991 Ph.D., Biochemical Institute, JLU Giessen, Medical School, Germany, 1991