Dr. Benjamin Alman

Canada Research Chair in Vascular and Metabolic Biology
Tier 2 - January 1, 2001
Health

Research Involves

Signaling pathways in cells; mutations in genes that contribute to the growth of aggressive, fibrous tumours and other orthopedic disorders.

Research Relevance

New drugs that can shrink tumours; a new way of thinking about orthopedic problems and possible biological solutions

Proteins and Genes - Deciphering the Relationship

Made up of spindle-shaped cells, aggressive fibromatosis is a lesion that invades the soft tissue. It often recurs, is difficult for doctors to treat, and sometimes causes death. Benjamin Alman's research is taking aim at this tenacious disease.

Alman's studies at the University of Toronto have already contributed to scientists' understanding of the way pathways between tumour cells become activated. Using experiments to isolate genes involved in fibromatosis and then study their interactions with proteins, Alman was able to identify two genes that mutate and affect the signalling pathway among cells. That discovery enabled him to devise a way to block the signalling pathway-and the disease. The result: shrinkage in tumours.

It is this kind of cutting-edge research that will lead to advances in new drugs that patients everywhere are so eagerly awaiting. Already, Alman's work blocking the development of fibromatosis has led to clinical trials of a drug that shows promise in helping patients with this disabling disorder. His research also has implications for the way even more deadly tumours develop.

This research chair will allow Alman to build on his earlier discoveries, concentrating on the interaction between genes and proteins and the growth of sarcomas-malignant tumours. He will also study the process by which wounds heal. Understanding these processes will suggest new treatments and agents that can be used to alter the way cells behave. Armed with a fresh new knowledge, cells could be made to be less aggressive.

One of the professor's other significant contributions is the new way of thinking he has brought to the search for solutions to joint replacements and other orthopedic problems. Instead of concentrating on the mechanical problems underlying the design of implants, his work examines new areas and suggests that biological issues may be involved. A unique idea: the motion of the implants may be sending a biological signal to tissues, which respond in inappropriate ways. Scientists should now look for solutions to the problem in biology, not in mechanical fixes to the problem.

Alman's work also illuminates the way embryos develop. This could shed new light on birth defects and open new paths for preventing them through molecular technology. As a result, by applying molecular medicine to the study of skeletal diseases, Alman has opened up an entirely new field of inquiry.

For further information, please contact Dr. Benjamin Alman using the Email contact form or by phone at 416 813-6414