By Larissa Fong, Research Team Member
Dr. Anne Claude Gingras is an expert in mass spectrometry-based proteomics, a technology that enables the identification and quantification of proteins from biological samples. She co-directs the Network Biology Collaborative Centre, a technology platform, and serves as the Deputy Editor for Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, the leading journal in the proteomics field. She holds prestigious titles, including the Canada Research Chair in Functional Proteomics and the Lea Reichmann Chair in Cancer Proteomics. As a Senior Investigator at Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and a professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, Dr. Gingras is deeply embedded in advancing proteomics research.
Dr. Gingras focuses on developing and applying proteomics tools to better understand how the human cell is organized and how it responds to signals. Her work elucidates how proteins interact to perform essential biological functions. By leveraging mass spectrometry, she investigates protein interactions and the intricate networks that govern cellular pathways in health and disease, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and rare genetic conditions. Her research has significant implications for understanding how disruptions in cellular signaling contribute to cancer, where normal mechanisms of cell growth are altered.
One of Gingras’s main research interests is deciphering how cells interpret various signals, such as hormone and growth factors. By integrating proteomics approaches, alongside molecular biology, cell biology, and genetics techniques, she provides critical insights into the signaling pathways that regulate cell and tissue growth in both normal and disease states. Additionally, she is pioneering efforts to map the spatial organization of proteins with human cells. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she contributed to Canada’s scientific response by developing high-throughput and functional serology assays.
Coming from a small town as a first-generation scientist, Dr. Gingras had few role models who were successful women in the sciences, other than Marie Curie, until she began graduate school at McGill University in the 1990s. There, she was profoundly inspired by Dr. Morag Park, a new faculty member conducting cutting-edge breast cancer research using innovative technologies to study signaling pathways. Park's ability to balance groundbreaking research and family life left a lasting impression on Gingras, who aspired to emulate her. Today, their paths have intersected, and they are scientific collaborators and friends. Gingras hopes to inspire the next generation of kids to pursue science, showing them that you can be a top-notch scientist while being collaborative and sharing.
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