Paola A. Marignani

Paola A. Marignani is a Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Pathology at Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine. She has been a department member since 2003, following postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University and the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute/Ontario Cancer Institute. Her research focuses on tumor suppressors, cancer metabolism, and signal transduction, with a particular emphasis on LKB1 and Vav2 proteins. She holds a PhD in Biochemistry from McMaster University and an Executive MBA from Ivey School of Business.

Education:

• Hon BSc, University of Windsor
• MSc, University of Western Ontario
• PhD, McMaster University
• Executive MBA, Ivey School of Business, Western Ontario

Research Interests: The Marignani Lab investigates molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression and neurodegenerative diseases. Key areas include:

• LKB1's role in tumor suppression and metabolic regulation
• Vav2's influence on cytoskeletal reorganization
• Pre-clinical drug development using animal models
• Single-cell genomic analysis (scRNA-seq, scATAC-seq)

Funding Sources: Supported by Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, CIHR, NSERC, and others. Current projects include biomarker identification and targeted therapeutics.

Labs & Teams: The Marignani Discovery Research Laboratory employs advanced platforms such as metabolomics, epigenomics, and CRISPR-based gene editing. Lab members include postdocs, technicians, and students, with notable former trainees like Jacob Rukavina and Ramani Soundararajan.