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null Andrew Bateman, PhD

Senior Scientist, RI-MUHC, Glen site

Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program

Centre for Translational Biology

Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University

Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, MUHC

 

Keywords

Progranulin • neuroprotection • tissue repair • growth factors • cell communication • cancer progression

Research Focus

My research focuses on how communication between cells relates to disease. Progranulin is a protein secreted by cells that instructs nearby cells to divide and move. It also inhibits cell death caused by challenges such as starvation or chemotherapeutic drugs. Among the many important roles for this molecule, progranulin keeps nerve cells alive. Losing only one half of the brain’s progranulin levels by mutation causes frontotemporal dementia, a devastating degenerative brain disease. I wish to understand how progranulin protects the brain. It is overexpressed in many cancers and renders cancer cells much more aggressive. Blocking progranulin may be a route to cancer therapy. Progranulin also reduces inflammation, and its levels increase rapidly in injured tissues. We have shown that progranulin helps the wound repair process, including angiogenesis. This may help people suffering from chronic wounds that fail to heal properly.

Selected Publications

Click on Pubmed to see my current publications list

  • Bateman A., Bennett H., Cheung S. (eds) Progranulin. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1806. Humana Press, New York, NY (Book).

  • Progranulin: a new avenue towards the understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative disease By: Chitramuthu, Babykumari P.; Bennett, Hugh P. J.; Bateman, Andrew BRAIN (2017) Volume: 140 Pages: 3081-3104. PMID: 29053785.

  • Neurotrophic effects of progranulin in vivo in reversing motor neuron defects caused by over or under expression of TDP-43 or FUS By: Chitramuthu, Babykumari P.; Kay, Denis G.; Bateman, Andrew; et al.PLOS ONE (2017) Volume: 12 Article Number: e017478. PMID: 28358904.

  • The Evolution of the Secreted Regulatory Protein Progranulin By: Palfree, Roger G. E.; Bennett, Hugh P. J.; Bateman, Andrew PLOS ONE (2015) Volume: 10 Article Number: e0133749. PMID: 26248158.

  • Expression of the Growth Factor Progranulin in Endothelial Cells Influences Growth and Development of Blood Vessels: A Novel Mouse Model By: Toh, Huishi; Cao, Mingju; Daniels, Eugene; et al. PLOS ONE (2013) Volume: 8 Article Number: e64989. PMID: 29956286.