Aly Karsan

Aly Karsan is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a Distinguished Scientist at Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at BC Cancer. His research focuses on the molecular basis of myeloid leukemias, aging-related cancer resistance, and clinical genomics innovation.

• Affiliations: Faculty of Medicine (UBC), School of Biomedical Engineering (UBC), BC Cancer Research Institute, Centre for Blood Research (UBC)
• Clinical leadership: Established first clinically-accredited Next-Generation Sequencing lab in Canada

Research Interests
Dr. Karsan investigates:

• Genomic and epigenomic aberrations in aging-related leukemia
• Role of noncoding RNAs and innate immune signaling in blood cancers
• Embryonic blood stem cell emergence via Sash1 signaling
• Clonal interactions in acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
• Mechanisms of lenalidomide resistance in myelodysplastic syndromes

Scientific Contributions
Recent publications demonstrate expertise in:

• NGS technology validation
• Genetic barcoding systems
• TGFβ signaling in hematopoiesis
• Bayesian network diagnostics

Awards & Recognition

• Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Blood Cancers
• John Auston BC Cancer Foundation Clinical Scientist Award
• Health Employers Association of BC Gold Apple Award for Innovation
• Multiple CIHR Clinician-Scientist and MSFHR Scholar awards

Labs & Collaborations
Leads the Karsan Lab at BC Cancer Research Institute and coordinates a Terry Fox Research Institute Program Project with six principal investigators.