Dr. Trevor Pugh
Senior Investigator and Director, Genomics
Dr. Trevor Pugh is a Senior Investigator and the Director of Genomics at OICR. He leads the OICR Genomics program, which brings together the Princess Margaret Genomics Centre, OICR’s Genome Research Platform, Translational Genomics Laboratory and Genome Sequence Informatics teams under an integrated initiative to support basic, translational and clinical research.
Dr. Pugh is a cancer genomics researcher and a board-certified molecular geneticist. His research program is focused on understanding the clinical implications of clonal shifts in cancer and non-cancerous cell populations in tumours during treatment, most recently using cell-free DNA sequencing, single cell RNA-seq analysis, and immune repertoire profiling. He and his collaborators develop software tools and data analysis systems required to enable collaborative, clinically-oriented genome research.
Experience & Education
- Clinical Molecular Genetics Fellow (ACMG), Harvard Medical School
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
- PhD, University of British Columbia
- B.Sc., University of British Columbia
Current Affiliations
- Senior Investigator & Director, Genomics, OICR
- Canada Research Chair in Translational Genomics
- Associate Professor, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto
- Senior Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Select Publications
- Personalized circulating tumor DNA analysis as a predictive biomarker in solid tumor patients treated with pembrolizumab. Bratman SV*, Yang SYC*, …, Siu LL+, Pugh TJ+. Nature Cancer. 2020 Sep;1:873–881.
- Gradient of developmental and injury-response transcriptional states define functional vulnerabilities underpinning glioblastoma heterogeneityRichards LM, Whitley O, … Dirks PB+, Bader GD+, Pugh TJ+. Nature Cancer, 2021 Feb;2:157–173
- CReSCENT: CanceR Single Cell ExpressioN Toolkit. Mohanraj S*, Díaz-Mejía JJ*, …, Brudno M+, Ramani AK+, Pugh TJ+. Nucleic Acids Res. 2020 Jul 2;48(W1):W372-W379.
- CapTCR-seq: A DNA hybrid capture method for assessment of T-cell receptor clonality. Mulder DT, …, Ohashi PS, Pugh TJ. Blood Adv. 2018 Dec 11;2(23):3506-3514.
- Circulating tumour DNA sequence analysis as an alternative to bone marrow aspirates for clinical management of multiple myeloma. Kis O, …, Trudel S+, Pugh TJ+.Nat Commun. 2017 May 11;8:15086.
- The genetic landscape of high-risk neuroblastoma Pugh TJ*, Morozova O*, …, Marra MA, Meyerson M, Maris JM. Nat Genet. 2013 Mar;45(3):279-84.
- Medulloblastoma exome sequencing uncovers subtype-specific somatic mutations Pugh TJ, …, Meyerson M, Pomeroy SL, Cho YJ. Nature. 2012 Aug 2;488(7409):106-10.
See Dr. Pugh’s recent publications on PubMed or on Google Scholar.
Research Areas
Disease Areas
Awards
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada Research Chair in Translational Genomics, 2018
- StandUp2Cancer, Philip A. Sharp Award for Innovation in Collaboration, 2018
- Terry Fox Research Institute, New Investigator Award, 2017
Opportunities to Collaborate
For opportunities to collaborate with Dr. Pugh, please contact the PM-OICR Translational Genomics Laboratory.
Visit OICR’s Collaborative Research Resources directory for more opportunities to collaborate with OICR researchers.
Tools
- Liquid Biopsy Sequencing: Ultra-deep targeted sequencing to detect somatic mutations in cell-free DNA
- CapTCRSeq: A DNA hybrid capture method for assessment of T-cell receptor clonality (Similar bait set developed for the immunoglobulin / B-cell receptor loci)
Patents
- Hybrid-capture sequencing for determining immune cell clonality, WO2017177308A1, 2017
In the News
OICR Genomics achieves CAP laboratory accreditation
Apr 26, 2021
OICR-affiliated researchers awarded $6.6 million in funding from CIHR
Mar 09, 2021
Clinical trial breaks new ground on using immunotherapy for more cancer types
Sep 07, 2021
Third major accreditation to help OICR Genomics power next generation of precision medicine
Apr 04, 2023
OICR introduces groundbreaking test proven to find traces of cancer in blood
Jul 25, 2023
The secret to stopping deadly cancer recurrences may be in your blood
Aug 11, 2023
Landmark study uses OICR Genomics test to find early signs of cancer in blood
Oct 24, 2023
Blood test detects tumours early in families with cancer
Oct 24, 2023
Using AI to connect cancer patients with cutting-edge clinical trials
Feb 27, 2024
Ask a cancer researcher: Is there a blood test for cancer?
Mar 22, 2024
No tumour sample, no problem: Blood test predicts immunotherapy outcomes without biopsy
Jul 23, 2024
OICR researchers inducted into Royal Society of Canada
Nov 11, 2024
Looking Ahead
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