Peter Siegel

Peter Siegel, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Medicine Member, Goodman Cancer Institute Associate Member, Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Oncology McGill University 1160 Pine Avenue West Goodman Cancer Institute, Room 513  Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1A3 Tel: 514-398-4259 Fax:514-398-6769 peter.siegel [at] mcgill.ca Siegel Lab

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Peter Siegel received his Ph.D. degree from McMaster University and pursued his post-doctoral training at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University and a full member of the Goodman Cancer Institute. Since beginning his independent academic career at McGill, Dr. Siegel has held career awards from the CCS (Harold Johns Award), FRQS (Junior II research scholar) and McGill University as a William Dawson Scholar. Dr. Siegel’s research focuses on the fundamental mechanisms that control organ-selective cancer metastasis and employs pre-clinical animal models and clinical material to identify molecular mediators and cellular process that promote cancer metastasis to distinct sites such as the bone, lung, liver and brain, with a particular emphasis on breast cancer. His research has been funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Terry Fox Foundation, the US Army Department of Defense and the Cancer Research Society.

Keywords

Cancer Cell Migration/Invasion, Metastasis, Tumor Microenvironment, Tumor/Stromal Interactions, Experimental Therapeutics

Research Activities

Dr. Siegel’s laboratory is focused on elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms that promote cancer metastasis, which represents the deadliest aspect of the disease. His research program can be divided into three broad themes: the first is the identification of key tumor cell intrinsic molecules, signalling pathways and metabolic strategies that enable cancer cells to migrate, invade and metastasize. The second theme investigates the interactions between cancer cells and the primary and metastatic microenvironments in which they grow. The immediate tumor microenvironment includes the extracellular matrix components, resident parenchymal cells that comprise different organs/tissues and the infiltrating innate and adaptive immune cells, all of which influence the growth and spread of cancer cells. The third theme focuses on how these key molecules; pathways or tumor/stromal interactions can be targeted therapeutically.

Selected Recent Publications

1. M. Dankner, S.M. Maritan, N. Priego, G. Kruck, A. Nkili-Meyong, J. Nadaf, R. Zhuang, M.G. Annis, D. Zuo, A. Nowakowski, M. Biondini, A. Kiepas, C. Mourcos, P. Le, F. Charron, Y. Inglebert, P. Savage, L. Théret, M-C. Guiot, R.A. McKinney, W.J. Muller, M Park, M. Valiente, K. Petrecca, and P.M. Siegel. (2024). Invasive growth of brain metastases is linked to CHI3L1 released from pSTAT3-positive astrocytes. Neuro-Oncology (Online ahead of Print).
2. E. Karimi, M.W. Yu, S.M. Maritan, L. Perus, M. Dankner, M. Rezanejad, P. Fallah, M. Sorin, D. Zuo, D.J. Kloosterman, Y. Wei¹, S. Lam, I. Watson, M. Park, L. Akkari, K. Petrecca, M-C Guiot, P.M. Siegel*, L.A. Walsh* and D.F. Quail*. (2023). Highly multiplexed imaging of the brain tumor microenvironment reveals immunological spatial networks that predict survival. Nature. 614(7948): 555-563. ^*Co-corresponding Authors.
3. M. Biondini, A. Kiepas, L. El-Houjeiri, M.G. Annis, B.E. Hsu, A-M Fortier, G. Morin, J.A. Martina^, I. Sirois, A. Aguilar-Mahecha, T. Gruosso, S. McGuirk, A.A.N. Rose, U.M. Tokat, R.M. Johnson, O. Sahin, E. Bareke, J. St-Pierre, M. Park, M. Basik, J. Majewski, R. Puertollano, A. Pause,^, S. Huang, T. Keler and P.M. Siegel. (2022). HSP90 inhibitors induce GPNMB cell surface expression and sensitize breast cancer cells to Glembatumumab Vedotin. Oncogene. 41(12): 1701-1717.
4. L. El-Houjeiri, M. Biondini, M. Paquette, H. Kuasne, A. Pacis, M. Park, P.M. Siegel* and A. Pause*. (2021). Folliculin impairs breast tumor growth by repressing TFE3-dependent induction of the Warburg effect and angiogenesis. J Clin. Invest. 131(22). E144871. ^*Co-corresponding Authors.
5. S. Tabariès, M.G. Annis, A. Lazaris, S. Petrillo, A. Abdellatif, V. Palmieri, J. Chabot, R. Johnson, S. van Laere, C. Verhoef, Y. Hachem, S. Yumeen, N. Meti, A. Omeroglu, G. Altinel, Z-H. Gao, D. Grünhagen, P. Vermeulen, P. Metrakos*, P.M. Siegel*. (2021). Claudin-2 promotes colorectal cancer liver metastasis and is a biomarker of the replacement type growth pattern. Comm Biol. 4(1) 657. ^*Co-corresponding Authors.
6. M. Dankner, M. Caron, T. Al-Saadi, W. Yu, V. Ouellet, R. Ezzeddine, M.G. Annis, P.U. Le, J. Nadaf, N.S. Neubarth, P. Savage, D. Zuo, C.P. Couturier, J. Monlong, H. Djambazian, H. Altoukhi, G. Bourque, J. Ragoussis, R.J. Diaz, M. Park, M-C. Guiot, S. Lam, K. Petrecca^* and P.M. Siegel^*. (2021). Invasive growth associated with Cold-Inducible RNA-Binding Protein expression drives recurrence of surgically resected brain metastases. Neuro-Oncology. 23(9): 1470-1480. ^*Co-corresponding Authors.

PubMed Publications – P. Siegel