• 
• 
• 
  • About OICR
  • Board of Directors
  • Scientific Advisory Board
  • Staff
  • Researchers
  • Strategic Plan
  • News and Publications
  • Annual Reports
  • Information Practices
• 
  • Clinical Trials
  • Commercialization
  • Innovation Platforms
  • Ontario Tumour Bank
  • Research Ethics (OCREB)
  • Research Grants
  • Research Programs
  • Translational Programs
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Dr. Nizar Batada

Principal Investigator, Genome Technologies Platform

Research Description

Each cell in the human body contains the same genetic information, but due to the differential behaviour (or ‘expression’) of a subset of genes, humans have about 200 different cell types.

Cellular mechanisms that are responsible for such gene expression are said to be 'epigenetic' since they do not involve direct changes in DNA sequence itself. Instead, they work around the DNA, altering the local chromatin structure and thereby regulating access of genes to transcription factors and machinery. Such epigenetic modifications have a profound influence on gene activity and play an important role in development, aging and abnormal gene control in cancer cells.

Using next-generation sequencing technology and bioinformatic analysis, Dr. Batada will probe DNA methylation and histone modification in normal and diseased cells under numerous conditions and developmental states to uncover relationships between patterns of epigenetic modification and gene transcription.

Dr. Batada's long-term goal is to better understand how the components that establish and maintain different chromatin states co-operate to ensure proper gene expression patterns and how stochastic and environmentally induced epigenetic defects cause cancer.

Dr. Batada's research will allow a better understanding of normal development, aging and abnormal gene control in cancer and other diseases, as well as the role of the environment in human health.

Contact Information

Mailing Address
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
MaRS Centre, South Tower
101 College Street, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5G 0A3

Assistant
Stacey Quinn
416-673-8594

Email
nizar.batadaoicr.on.ca

Lab Homepage
batada.openwetware.org

Current

2008 -

Principal Investigator, Genome Technologies Platform, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.

Background        

2007 - 2008	Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School (George Church, advisor).
2004 - 2006	Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Medical Genetics, University of Toronto (Mike Tyers, advisor) and Department of Biology, University of Bath (Laurence Hurst, advisor).
2004	PhD, Biophysics, Stanford University.

                                             

Selected Publications

1. Batada NN, Hurst LD. Evolution of chromosome organization driven by selection for reduced gene expression noise. Nature Genetics. 2007;39(8):945—949.
2. Batada NN, Hurst LD. Chromatin remodeling is a major source of co-expression of linked genes in yeast. Trends in Genetics. 2007; Sept 4.
3. Batada NN, Reguly T, Breitkreutz A, Boucher L, Breitkreutz BJ, Hurst LD, Tyers M. Still Stratus not altocumulus: further evidence against the date/party hub distinction. PLoS Biol. 2007;5(6):e154.
4. Batada NN, Reguly T, Breitkreutz A, Boucher L, Breitkreutz BJ, Hurst LD, Tyers M. Stratus not altocumulus: a new view of the yeast protein interaction network. PLoS Biol. 2006;4(10):e317.
5. Batada NN, Hurst LD, Tyers M. Evolutionary and physiological importance of hub proteins. PLoS Computational Biol. 2006;2(7):e88.