Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Sidong Huang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and the Rosalind & Morris Goodman Cancer Institute at McGill University. He is also the scientific director of the McGill Platform for Cellular Perturbation.
He studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Boston University and subsequently obtained his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco in 2003, under the supervision of Dr. Erin O’Shea. He then joined the laboratory of Dr. Rene Bernards at the Netherlands Cancer Institute for his postdoctoral training. In 2013, he established his independent research group at McGill University. His work has uncovered novel resistance mechanisms to cancer therapeutics, identified new treatment strategies, and led to the establishment of clinical trials.
Lab Members
Azadeh Arabzadeh
Research Associate
Azadeh joined the lab in 2022 and has been at McGill since 2008 after obtaining her Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa. She leads a project building relevant animal models and provides lab support.
Patrick Sénéchal
Research Assistant
Paco joined the lab as a graduate student in 2021 after his Master’s training in General Surgery at Peking Union Medical College. Now he is a Research Assistant and provides general research support to the lab.
Paco Jiang
Research Assistant
Paco joined the lab as a graduate student in 2021 after his Master’s training in General Surgery at Peking Union Medical College. Now he is a Research Assistant and provides general research support to the lab.
Francis Robert, PhD
Research Associate
Paco joined the lab as a graduate student in 2021 after his Master’s training in General Surgery at Peking Union Medical College. Now he is a Research Assistant and provides general research support to the lab.
Regina Cencic, PhD
Research Associate
Paco joined the lab as a graduate student in 2021 after his Master’s training in General Surgery at Peking Union Medical College. Now he is a Research Assistant and provides general research support to the lab.
Giulio Aceto
Ph.D. Candidate
Giulio joined the lab in 2019. His research aims to uncover the driver pathways of SWI/SNF-deficient cancers using functional genetics approaches. He is supported by Canderel Studentship and Emma Ciani Studentship.
Samer Girgis
Graduate Student
Giulio joined the lab in 2019. His research aims to uncover the driver pathways of SWI/SNF-deficient cancers using functional genetics approaches. He is supported by Canderel Studentship and Emma Ciani Studentship.
Sai Kiran Naineni
Graduate Student
Giulio joined the lab in 2019. His research aims to uncover the driver pathways of SWI/SNF-deficient cancers using functional genetics approaches. He is supported by Canderel Studentship and Emma Ciani Studentship.
Hannah Hosein
Ph.D. Candidate
Hannah obtained her B.Sc. from McMaster University and joined the lab in 2020. She works on DICER1-associated sarcomas, supported by Goodman Cancer Centre Recruitment Scholarship, Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship, and Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQS) Doctoral Training Scholarship.
Pushkarni Suresh
[email protected]
Giulio joined the lab in 2019. His research aims to uncover the driver pathways of SWI/SNF-deficient cancers using functional genetics approaches. He is supported by Canderel Studentship and Emma Ciani Studentship.
Hannah Hosein
Ph.D. Candidate
Hannah obtained her B.Sc. from McMaster University and joined the lab in 2020. She works on DICER1-associated sarcomas, supported by Goodman Cancer Centre Recruitment Scholarship, Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship, and Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQS) Doctoral Training Scholarship.
Elise Graulich
Ph.D. Candidate
Elise obtained her Ms.C. in Molecular Biology from the University of Geneva and joined the lab in 2023. She works on metabolic dependencies of SWI/SNF-deficient cancers, supported by Dr. Victor KS Lui Studentship.
Andy Garnier
M.Sc. Candidate
Andy obtained his B.Sc. from the Memorial University of Newfoundland and joined the lab in 2022. He works on novel metabolic dependencies of SMARCA4 loss, supported by the Canadian Graduate Scholarship – Master’s (CGSM) and FRQS Master’s Training Scholarship.
Mark Liao
M.Sc. Candidate
Mark was an undergraduate student in the lab and began his graduate study in 2024. He works on novel synthetic lethal candidates of SMARCA4 loss in lung cancer, supported by Canderel Rising Star Summer Internship and CGSM.
Racim Sansal
M.Sc. Candidate
Racim was an undergraduate student in the lab and began his graduate study in 2023. He works on mechanisms of SWI/SNF-loss in promoting tumorigenesis, supported by CGSM.
Judy Liu
M.Sc. Candidate
Judy was an undergraduate student in the lab and began her graduate study in 2023. She works on novel druggable targets in ovarian cancer, supported by the Emma Ciani Studentship.
Ella Morales
Undergraduate Student
Ella is an undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry at McGill University. She jointed the lab in 2023 working on the regulation of SWI/SNF components, supported by Canderel Rising Star Summer Internship.
Sofia Moraitis
Email(missing)
Technical Support
Ella is an undergraduate student majoring in Biochemistry at McGill University. She jointed the lab in 2023 working on the regulation of SWI/SNF components, supported by Canderel Rising Star Summer Internship.
Former Lab Members
Sidong Huang lab
Jutta Steinberger, Research Associate (2019-2023) Now in Austria.
Zheng Fu, PhD Student (2017-2023) Now a Postdoctoral Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute, New York, USA
Xianbing Zhu, PhD Student (2017-2023) Now a Postdoctoral Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute, New York, USA
Laure Poittevin, Master Student, Research Assistant, (2019-2022) Now a Project Manager, Eugeria, Montreal, Canada
Bianca Adams, Honors Undergraduate Student, Master Student, (2018-2021) Now a Medical School student, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Connie Yang, Honors Undergraduate Student (2018-2021) Now an MD/PhD student, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA
Erika Prando Munhoz, Research Assistant (2020-2021) Now a Laboratory Technician, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
Howard Li, Honors Undergraduate Student (2019-2020) Now a Medical School student, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada
Geneviève Morin, Research Assistant (2015-2020) Now Responsable de travaux pratiques et de recherche, Université Laval, Québec City, Canada
Yibo Xue, PhD student (2014-2019) Now a Postdoctoral Fellow, The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto, Canada
Tim Kong, Honors Undergraduate Student, Master Student, Research Assistant (2015-2019) Now an MD/PhD student, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA
Rachel Bramley, Undergraduate Student (2018) Now a Dental Medicine student, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada
Cameron Levins, Master Student (2016-2018) Now a Medical School student, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Jessica Karaguesian, Undergraduate Student (2017) Now a Graduate student, MIT, Boston, USA
Lashanda Skerritt, Summer Student (2017) Now an MD/PhD student, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Sara Ferwati, Master Student (2015-2017) Now an Epidemiologist at Government of Nunavut, Canada
Nikki Cliffe, Summer Student, Honors Undergraduate Student (2016-2017) Now a Medical Intern, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Hongbo Chen, Visiting Professor (2015-2016) Now an Associate Professor, Sun Yat-sen University, China
Andreas Papadakis, Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2016) Now a Research Associate at Lady Davis Institute, Montreal, Canada
Kateryna Rossokhata, Honors Undergraduate Student (2016) Now an PhD student, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada
Tiffany Cho, Summer Student (2015) Now a PhD Student, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Chi Ying Cheng, Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2015) Now an Inside Sales representative at SCP Science, Baie-D’Urfe, Canada
Larischa De Wet, Honors Undergraduate Student (2014) Now a Senior Consultant, Guidehouse, Chicago, USA
Zhi Zeng, Honors Undergraduate Student (2013-2014) Now a Research Associate, Exiger Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada
Meaghan Van Alstyne, Honors Undergraduate Student (2013) Now a Research Associate, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado, USA
Maryam Ghashghaei, Summer Student (2013) Now a Postdoctoral Fellow, BC Cancer Research, Vancouver, Canada
Jerry Pelletier lab
Kesha Patel, Graduate Student
Lauren Pugsley, Graduate Student, Now at the University of British Colombia
Minza Haque, Graduate Student, Now at McGill University
Leo Shen, Now at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Jutta Steinberger, Research Associate (2020) Now in Austria.
Jennifer Chu, PhD Student (until 2020) Now a Postdoctoral associate, Christofer Burge lab, MIT, Cambridge, USA
Rayelle Itoua Maiga, PhD Student (until 2020) Now a Postdoctoral Researcher, Quantitative and Computational Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, USA
Teresa Lee, PhD Student (until 2017) Now a Postdoctoral Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA
Alexandra Katigbak, MSc Student (until 2016)
Katia Sleiman, MSc Student (until 2017) Now a PhD Student, DKFZ German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
Gabriela Galicia-Vàsquez, PhD Student (until 2015) Now a Medical Science Liaison, AstraZeneca, Montreal, Canada
Abba Malina, PhD Student (until 2012) Now a Research Associate, Lady Davis Research Institute, Montreal, Canada
Amina Kreps, MSc Student (until 2014)
Zeina Nasr, PhD Student (until 2013) Now an Assistant Professor, University of Balamand, Balamand, Lebanon
Tanner Shpiruk, MSc Student (until 2014)
John Mills, PhD Student (until 2012) Now Co-Director of the NeuroImmunology Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA
Betty Lin, PhD Student (until 2010)
François Bélanger, PhD, Research Associate Now at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal, Canada
Lisa Lindqvist, PhD Student (until 2010) Now a Research Scientist, CSL Behring, Melbourne, Australia
Yfei Yan, Post-Doc
Isabelle Harvey, MSc, Research Assistant
Marilyn Carrier, PhD, Now at the Université de Montreal
Unkyung Shin, MSc Student (until 2013) Now at McGill University
Aouod Agenor, MSc Student (until 2012) Now a Resident Physician, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Rami Sukarieh, PhD Student (until 2009) Now an Assistant Professor, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon
Jun-Duo Chen, MSc Student (until 2009)
Marie-Eve Bordeleau, PhD Student (until 2007) Now a Research Associate, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
Eun-Hee Park, PhD Student (until 2006) Now a Senior Scientist, Shire (a Takeda company), Cambridge, USA
Olivia Novac, PhD
Joseph Lee, PhD
Mohammed Dehbi, PhD, Now a Principal Investigator, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Doha, Qatar
Jungho Kim, PhD Student (until 1999) Now a Professor, Department of Life Sciences, Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea
Maria Discenza, PhD Student (until 2003) Now a Principal Scientist, Roche, Basel, Switzerland
Manjula Das, PhD, Now at Abexome Biosciences
Tae Ho Lee, PhD, Now an Assistant Professor, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA
Shelly Lwu, MSc Student (until 2000)
Peter Moffett, PhD Student (until 2000) Now a Professor, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
Marc Reese, MSc Student (until 1998)
Nabeel Bardeesy, PhD Student (until 1998) Now an Associate Professor of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, USA
Gang Hu, MSc Student (until 1996)
Wendy Breuning, PhD Student (until 1996)
Elaine Winnet, MSc Student (until 1994)
Ramani Varanasi, MSc, MBA Student (until 1994) Now Co-founder and CEO, Avillion LLP