Yoshiaki Tanaka

Yoshiaki Tanaka is an Associate Professor at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medicine. He leads the Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Unit at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center (CRHMR). His research focuses on understanding tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance using 3D in vitro brain organoids and large-scale genomic data analysis techniques like single-cell RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and ChIP-seq. Dr. Tanaka’s team integrates computational methods with cellular models to develop novel therapeutic strategies for brain tumors and neurological diseases.

Education: BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2006, Tokyo University of Science), PhD in Life Sciences (2011, University of Tokyo under Dr. Kenta Nakai), Postdoctoral training (2011–2020) at Yale University under Dr. In-Hyun Park, specializing in stem cell pluripotency and tissue development.

Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of brain tumors, organoid-based disease modeling, AI-driven genomic data analysis, chromatin dynamics, and neurodevelopmental disorders. His lab develops 3D brain organoids to study glioblastoma microenvironment interactions and leverages machine learning for single-cell data interpretation.

Grants and Awards: 2020 Quebec Research Fund - Health Junior 1 Fellowship. Active projects include NSERC-funded studies on BRD4’s role in brain development, FRQS-supported AI-driven tumor subtype analysis, and IRSC-backed investigations into glioblastoma microenvironment interactions using organoids.

Labs/Teams: Directs the Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Unit at CRHMR. Collaborates with institutions like the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal. Current trainees include Nicolas Paradis-Isler, Samantha Yuen, and Saber Saharkhiz.