Marco Gallo

Associate Professor

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

PhD


Contact information

Phone

Office: 403-220-6357

Web presence

PubMed

Gallo Lab

Location

Office : HMRB305

Preferred method of communication

ADMIN ASSISTANT

Benedicta Odame-Ankrah

Email: b.odameankrah@ucalgary.ca

Office: 403-220-3029


Research and teaching

Area of Focus

  • Cancer stem cell epigenomics in brain tumors

Summary of Research

Our group studies the epigenetics and epigenomics of brain tumors, with a special emphasis on glioblastoma (GBM). The modest success in treating and curing GBM is at least in part because this cancer is very heterogeneous, and not all tumor cells have the same functional properties. A few cells in these tumors behave like stem cells in a normal tissue, and are responsible for the continuous growth of the malignancy and its recurrence after treatment. We believe that targeting these cancer stem cells will be fundamental in fully eradicating GBM. We have recently discovered that cancer stem cells in GBM have a characteristic way of packaging their DNA. We are currently trying to characterize how cancer stem cells do this, and we are looking for ways to exploit this vulnerability with next generation therapeutics.


Biography

Dr. Marco Gallo obtained his BSc degree at Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, BC), and he did his honors thesis under the supervision of Dr David Baillie. He then moved to The University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) to work on his PhD in Dr Donald Riddle's laboratory. In 2010 he started his postdoctoral fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, ON) and worked with Dr Peter Dirks, the founder of the cancer stem cell field in brain tumors. Here, Dr. Gallo specialized in epigenetic and epigenomic techniques