Dr. David D. Eisenstat
Director, Advanced Degrees in Medicine Program, Faculty of Medicine
Director, Neuro-Oncology, CancerCare Manitoba
Associate Professor, Departments of Pediatrics & Child Health, Human Anatomy & Cell Science, Ophthalmology, and Biochemistry & Medical Genetics
Senior Investigator, Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology
Scientist, Manitoba Institute of Child Health

Degrees:
MD (Toronto 1985), MA (Neuroscience, UCSF 1997), FRCPC (Pediatrics 1990)

Mailing Address:
Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology
675 McDermot Ave. Rm. ON5016
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9

Tel: (204) 787-1169      Fax: 787-2190     Lab: 787-4171
Administrative Assistant: Cybel de Juan: ON5020, (204) 787-4170

E-mail: eisensta@cc.umanitoba.ca,

Research Interests:

The research conducted in my laboratory is directed toward understanding the regulation of cell growth and differentiation during development. These investigations are of primary importance to childhood cancers. In Manitoba, cancer is the most common cause of death in childhood and adolescence, excluding accidents. Current treatment strategies, which primarily involve radiation and chemotherapy, do not directly target the cancer cell. In contrast, biological response modifiers have been used to treat several types of malignancy by harnessing normal developmental programs specific to these relatively undifferentiated cancer cell populations. The primary aim of my research program is to facilitate our understanding of the processes of differentiation of cells through changes in their internal milieu and external environment. I propose to accomplish this through an improved understanding of two important regulatory molecules: (i) the hypoxia-inducible cell death protein, BNIP3 (in collaboration with Dr. Spencer Gibson) in brain tumours of children and adults; and (ii) the DLX homeodomain proteins that are transcription factors in the developing brain, retina, pancreas and intestine. The ultimate goal is to develop novel therapeutic approaches complementing current treatment strategies by modifying neuronal differentiation programs in paediatric malignancies, including neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma and brain tumours.

Recent Publications:

1. Mason WP, Del Maestro R, Eisenstat D, Forsyth P, Fulton D, Laperrière N, Macdonald D, Perry J and Thiessen B. Canadian recommendations for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. Current Oncology 2007; 14(3):110-117.
2. Miai P, Madec K, Gong Y, Shen H, Eisenstat D, Melanson M, Gu X, Namaka M. Axotomy-induced upregulation of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha in the dorsal root ganglia. Neurological Research 2007 (in press).
3. Johnston DL, Keene DL, Lafay-Cousin L, Steinbok P, Carret AS, Crooks B, Strother D, Wilson B, Odame I, Eisenstat, DD, Mpofu, C, Zelcer, S, Huang A, Bouffet E. Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors: A Canadian Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium  Report. J Neuro-Oncol 2007 June 11 [Epub ahead of print].
4. Lamparello P, Baybis M, Pollard J, Hol EM, Eisenstat DD, Aronica E, Crino PB. Developmental lineage of cell types in cortical dysplasia with balloon cells. Brain 2007 (accepted).
5. Le TN, Du G, Fonseca M, Zhou QP, Wigle JT, Eisenstat DD. Dlx homeobox genes promote cortical interneuron migration from the basal forebrain by direct repression of the semaphorin receptor neuropilin-2. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2007; 282(26): 19071-19081. [2007 Jan 26 Epub ahead of print].
6. Wigle JT, Eisenstat DD. Common signaling pathways used during development. Chapter 21. In: Moore KL, Persaud TVN, The Developing Human, 8th Edition, Elsevier Science: Saunders, 2007 (in press).
7. Salman M, Froese N, Shuckett P, Wrogemann J, Eisenstat DD. Claude Syndrome “plus” in an adolescent. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences 2006; 33(4):430-432.
8. Keene DL, Johnston DL, Strother D, Brossard J, Carret A, Crooks B, Eisenstat D, Fryer C, Mpofu C, Moghrabi A, Odame I, Zelcer S, Silva M, Wilson B, Samson Y, Hand J, Bouffet E. Epidemiological survey of central nervous system germ cell tumors in Canadian children. Journal of Neuro-Oncology [2006 Nov 22 Epub ahead of print].
9. Ghashghaei HT, Weber J, Pevny L, Schwab M, Lloyd KCK, Eisenstat DD, Lai C, Anton ES. The role of neuregulin-ErbB4 interactions on the proliferation and organization of cells in the subventricular zone. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2006; 103(6): 1930-1935.
10. Burton TR, Henson ES, Baijal P, Eisenstat DD, Gibson SB. The pro-cell death Bcl-2 family member, BNIP3, is localized to the nucleus of human glial cells: implications for glioblastoma multiforme tumor cell survival under hypoxia. Int J Cancer 2006; 118(7):1660-1669.
11. Eisenstat DD. Complex chemotherapy for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in adults. MIMS Advances: Neuro-Oncology 2005; 2:9-13.
12. de Melo J, du G, Fonseca M, Gillespie LA, Turk WJ, Rubenstein JLR, Eisenstat DD. Dlx1 and Dlx2 function is necessary for terminal differentiation and survival of late-born retinal ganglion cells in the developing mouse retina. Development 2005; 132(2):311-322.
13. Eisenstat DD. Clinical management of medulloblastoma in adults. Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy 2004; 4(5): 795-802.
14. Zhou QP, Le TN, Qiu X, Spencer V, de Melo J, Du G, Plews M, Fonseca M, Sun JM, Davie J, Eisenstat DD. (2004) Identification of a Dlx homeodomain target in the developing mouse forebrain and retina by optimization of chromatin immunoprecipitation. Nucleic Acids Research 32(3): 884-892.

PubMed Listed Publication

Lab Members: