Tel.: 514-340-8222 ext. 24984
volker.blank@mcgill.ca
Dr. Volker Blank
 
Senior Investigator, Lady Davis Institute
Professor, Department of Medicine, McGill University
 
Dr. Blank's Publications Indexed on PubMed

Dr. Volker Blank received his doctorate from the University of Paris VI (Pierre & Marie Curie) and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He did his postdoctoral training at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California and Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Blank is currently a Professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University and a Senior Investigator at the Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital. He is also an Associate Member of the Department of Physiology at McGill University.
 
Major Research Activities

Dr. Blank’s laboratory is interested in the functions of the CNC and small Maf basic-leucine zipper transcription factors. The research team he leads has the following objectives: 1) Analyze the molecular mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of erythroid cells, with particular emphasis on the p45 NF-E2 transcription factor; 2) Determine the role of the Nrf3 transcription factor in mammalian gene regulation; 3) Examine the regulation of the MafF protein in proinflammatory cytokine signaling. The long-term goal of these studies is to design novel treatment options for patients with erythroid cell disorders and cancer.

Recent Publications 

Saliba J, Coutaud B, Makhani K, Epstein Roth N, Park JY, Gagnon N, Costa P, Jeykumar T, Bury M, Beauchemin N, Mann KK, Blank V. Loss of NFE2L3 protects against inflammatory colorectal cancer through modulation of the tumor microenvironment. Oncogene 2022, published online January 28, 2022.

Bury M, Le Calvé B, Ferbeyre G, Blank V & Lessard F. New insights into CDK regulators; novel opportunities for cancer therapy, Trends in Cell Biology 2021, Mar 3: S0962-8924(21) 00025-8.

Bury M, Le Calvé B, Lessard F, Dal Maso T, Saliba J, Michiels C, Ferbeyre G & Blank V. NFE23 controls colon cancer cell growth through regulation of DUX4, a CDK1 inhibitor. Cell Reports 2019, 29: 1469-1481.e9.

Saliba J, Coutaud B, Solovieva V, Lu F, & Blank V. Regulation of CXCL1 chemokine and CSF3 cytokine levels in myometrial cells by the MAFF transcription factor. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine 2019, 23: 2517-2525.

Kannan MB, Dodard-Friedman I & Blank V. Stringent control of NFE2L3 (Nuclear Factor, Erythroid 2-Like 3; NRF3) protein degradation by FBW7 (F-box/WD Repeat-containing Protein 7) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3). Journal of Biological Chemistry 2015, 290: 26292-302.

Gasiorek JJ, Mikhael M, Garcia-Santos D, Hui ST, Ponka P & Blank V. Thioredoxin-interacting protein regulates the differentiation of erythroid precursors. Experimental Hematology 2015, 43: 393-403.
Snapshot
Dr. Blank is an internationally recognized researcher in the fields of erythropoiesis and cancer.

He participated in the first cloning and analysis of NF-kappaB, a transcriptional regulator that plays a key role in immunity and infection.

He is known for his studies on CNC and Maf transcription factor family members that play important roles in mammalian differentiation, oncogenesis and stress response.
 
 
Important Links


Dr. Blank’s website at the McGill University Division of Experimental Medicine


Dr. Blank’s website at the McGill University Department of Physiology
 
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