Cancer researcher Lynne-Marie Postovit has spent more than twenty years studying cancer cell plasticity to uncover how tumor cells adapt to their microenvironment, The Scientist reported.
Working at Queen’s University, her research maps out the molecular mechanisms that allow these cells to alter their phenotypes and resist treatment.
- Tumor Microenvironment: The surrounding cellular neighborhood where cancer cells grow, interact with normal tissue, and face chemical stress.
- Hypoxia: A condition of low oxygen levels within a tumor that acts as a potent stressor, driving aggressive cancer growth and treatment resistance.
- Cellular Plasticity: The capacity of cancer cells to change their traits and adapt dynamically, making them harder to target with standard therapies.
When The Scientist first interviewed Postovit in 2012, she served as a principal investigator at the University of Western Ontario. Back then, her laboratory focused on how developmental molecules and stressors like hypoxia regulate cancer aggressiveness. Early graduate studies under biologist Charles Graham at Queen’s University first introduced her to hypoxia as a driver of tumor invasion, a theme she expanded during postdoctoral research at Northwestern University.
Advances in high-throughput technology later shifted her approach from examining isolated genes to evaluating whole networks. Postovit noted how revolutionary these tools have been compared to her early graduate days when the human genome was still unsequenced. In a study published last year, her team used RNA sequencing and proteomic analysis to demonstrate how hypoxia reprograms breast cancer cells by altering transcription start sites and protein translation.
As the Canada Research Chair in Translational Cancer Research at Queen’s University, Postovit now applies these advanced genomic tools to rare and aggressive malignancies, including dedifferentiated endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. Her research group pairs 3D tissue culture techniques with gene editing, proteomics, and genomics to identify predictive biomarkers. She collaborates directly with chemists to synthesize novel compounds and works alongside clinical trial colleagues.
Her academic career spans a Bachelor of Science earned at Queen’s in 1999, followed by a PhD in Anatomy and Cell Biology, and a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellowship at Northwestern University. She held an assistant professorship at Western University from 2007 to 2013 before moving to the University of Alberta in 2014 to co-direct the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta.
Recognized with the Peter Lougheed/CIHR New Investigator Award in 2009 and election to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars in 2016, Postovit maintains a strong focus on public outreach through events like the Ovarian Cancer Canada Run for Hope.
| Research Milestone | Institution / Role | Key Focus Area |
|---|---|---|
| Graduate Studies | Queen’s University | Hypoxia and tumor invasiveness |
| Postdoctoral Fellowship | Northwestern University | Oxygen fluctuations and breast cancer enzymes |
| Principal Investigator | University of Western Ontario | Embryonic signals and aggressive phenotypes |
| Canada Research Chair | Queen’s University | Cellular plasticity, transcriptomics, and epigenomics |
Translational cancer research findings and biomarker discoveries do not represent immediate clinical treatments or self-management protocols. Patients diagnosed with breast, ovarian, or endometrial cancers must consult qualified medical oncologists before considering any trial enrollment or experimental therapeutic approach. Individual tumor microenvironments vary widely, and standard-of-care guidelines remain essential for safe clinical management.
- Queen’s University Research. Lynne-Marie Postovit | Research in Translational Cancer Research.
- Lynne-Marie Postovit Faculty Profile.
- The Scientist.
Disclaimer: This article provides evidence-based science journalism regarding ongoing oncological research and does not constitute formal medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations.
