Scientific Areas of Expertise: Cancer Genetics; Chemical Carcinogenesis; Systems and Computational Biology
For defining the first molecular link between cancer initiation and chemical carcinogen exposure; for his pioneering use of mouse models to elucidate how genes and the environment interact to drive multistep carcinogenesis; and for harnessing such models to recapitulate genetic heterogeneity in human populations to better inform precision medicine and diagnostic approaches to treatment.
A distinguished cancer research pioneer, Dr. Balmain established the first molecular link between cancer initiation and chemical carcinogen exposure and elucidated how genes and the environment interact to drive multistep carcinogenesis. He has generated murine models for multistage tumor development that recapitulate genetic heterogeneity in human populations to aid cancer diagnosis and precision medicine. Notably, he and his team have identified genetic modifiers of cancer susceptibility that determine an individual’s overall susceptibility and predisposition to cancer development, pinpointing specific germline genetic targets important for drug development and for designing novel strategies for cancer prevention and/or therapeutic intervention. Through his innovative use of mouse genetics, Dr. Balmain has defined biological mechanisms that drive inflammation and characterized genetic alterations and biological changes that occur during tumor invasion and metastasis.
Early studies conducted by Dr. Balmain demonstrated that the H-ras proto-oncogene was consistently activated in multiple independent tumors derived from the mouse epidermis and that quantitative changes in ras gene dosage are important for tumor progression and the development of metastatic properties. His studies involving the biology of mouse skin tumor invasion have demonstrated the existence of two pathways that contribute to the acquisition of invasive properties, genetic alterations involving the p16/Ink4a locus, and overexpression and activation of TGFb signaling. Dr. Balmain has used genetic and gene expression data from heterogeneous mouse populations to visualize the architecture of signaling pathways in normal and tumor tissues at the single cell level, identifying cell states that play an important role in cancer evolution. His work on analysis of mutational landscapes of murine tumors induced by carcinogen exposure have enabled a deeper understanding of the etiology of human cancers, showing that most carcinogens do not appear to be mutagens, but act through promotional pathways to stimulate clonal expansion of pre-existing initiated cells. These data have important implications for developing new strategies for cancer prevention.
Selected Awards and Honors
2018 Human Cancer Genetics Medal, Ohio State University
2015 Elected Fellow, The Royal Society, London, United Kingdom
2013 Herman Beerman Award, Society for Investigative Dermatology
2011 Research Achievement Award, American Skin Association, New York, New York
2007 John B. Little Award, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
2000 Tom Connors Prize
1995 Elected Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
1971 Alexander Von Humboldt-Stiftung Fellowship, The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Berlin, Germany