Aaron Marshall, BS (Hons), PhD

Research summary

Dr. Marshall’s research group is working to decode the intracellular signals that control the activities of immune cells during both healthy immune responses and in various disease states.

His laboratory applies advanced molecular and cell biology approaches to understand the signaling networks operating in immune cells, with a focus on antibody-producing cells called b lymphocytes.

Dr. Marshall focuses on enzymes that modify certain lipids in the plasma membrane to generate docking sites for intracellular signaling proteins.

He has discovered that specific genes and protein in this signaling pathway are abnormally activated in cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, and as well as autoimmune diseases, and is working to decipher their functions.

Dr. Marshall’s work has attracted continuous national funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and many other organizations.

Research themes

Immune cell biology

Cancer

Chronic inflammatory diseases

Biotechnology

Research interests

B lymphocytes

Signal transduction

Immune regulation

Cancer immunology

Autoimmune diseases

Research affiliations

Adjunct senior scientist, Research Institute In Oncology And Hematology, CancerCare Manitoba

Vice-president, Canadian Society for Immunology

Research groups

Manitoba chronic lymphocytic leukemia cluster

Human immunology team - prediction and prevention of rheumatoid arthritis in first nations people

Dr. Marshall is passionate about mentoring young scientists in the fascinating field of immunology and pushing the boundaries of technology to answer key biological questions in this field.

He earned his undergraduate degree in microbiology at the University of Saskatchewan and completed PhD studies in immunology at the University of Toronto working with Drs. Gillian Wu and Christopher Paige.

During a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Washington he furthered his studies in the field of b lymphocyte molecular biology, founding a research program focused on signal transduction pathways that control various aspects of b lymphocyte biology, including cell migration, adhesion, antigen presentation, germinal center responses and antibody production.

He is director of the Max Rady College of Medicine’s flow cytometry core platform and has expertise in confocal imaging to visualize cellular processes operating in live cells.

He is involved in several multi-disciplinary teams applying knowledge of immune cell biology to better diagnose and treat diseases such as cancer and autoimmunity.

Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Washington (2000)

Doctor of Philosophy in Immunology, University of Toronto (1997)

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Saskatchewan (1992)

Awards

Canada Research Chair

Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Award

American Association of Immunologists Junior Faculty Travel Award

Outstanding Young Alumni Award, University of Saskatchewan

Medical Research Council of Canada graduate studentship and post-doctoral fellowship