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Our Research

Translational Research

As part of the Pancreatic Cancer Translational Research Initiative at the Ontario Institute of Cancer Research, we are studying how intra- and inter-tumour cellular heterogeneity contributes to therapeutic resistance and poor outcomes in Pancreatic Ductal AdenoCarcinoma. By utilizing serial sections on a large cohort to simultaneously quantify single cell phenotypes and markers of their functional state, as well as their interactions, overall organization, and contribution to tissue architecture, we are able to identify multi-cellular networks that can inform clinical decision making like never done before. This work has been a vital collaboration between our graduate students, Ferris, Sybil, Tiak, and post doctoral fellow, Noor.
https://oicr.on.ca/programs/pancreatic-cancer-translational-research-initiative-pancurx/

By pairing mouse models of mammary tumorigenesis and highly multiplexed cellular profiling of human breast cancers we are investigating the molecular pathways which drive breast cancer initiation and metastasis. For this purpose, we are working closely with scientific collaborators within the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Researcher Institute and the clinical teams who have created the Breast Translational Research Resource at Mount Sinai Hospital. And as part of the Terry Fox Research Institute Hippo Pathway Team, we have developed a spatially resolved functional genomics screening approach to dissect the extracellular signaling networks controlled by tumour-specific Hippo signaling. This work is spear headed by our post doctoral fellow, Eddy.

Methods Development

We develop spatially resolved systems biology tools and analysis methods to quantify complex tissue systems across various biological scales; from genomes to pathway specific signaling, and even how these influence cellular phenotype and tissue level patterning. With specific expertise in Imaging Mass Cytometry and CyTOF technology, we combine spatially resolved ‘omics’ methods to investigate the molecular underpinnings of classic histopathology and unravel the complexity of tumour morphology and architecture. We are continually improving the quantitative methods we use, developing new reagents to measure cellular function, and creating new functional and phenotypic screening approaches. Join our lab to find out more and get involved with the ever-evolving field.

With thanks to all of our funding sources for their generous support of our work.

The single-cell pathology landscape of breast cancer
Jackson et al. Nature. (2020)
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Imaging mass cytometry and multiplatform genomics define the phenogenomic landscape of breast cancer
Ali et al. Nat Cancer. (2020)
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All publications can be found on
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=lS9OasAAAAAJ&hl=en
NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/hartland.jackson.1/bibliography/public/
Pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=jackson+hw&sort=date

We are a highly collaborative team with many partnerships within the institute as well as with other labs across Toronto and beyond.

• We are developing new analysis methods for image cytometry and highly multiplexed imaging with the Campbell Lab at the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute. https://www.camlab.ca/
• With the neighbouring Schramek Lab at LTRI we have created mouse model systems for the functional genomics study of single cells and multi-cellular tissues. https://schramek.lunenfeld.ca/
• Alongside the Notta Lab and the PanCuRx Initiative within the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, we are investigating the single cell content of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma using a combination of ‘omics’ profiling methods. https://www.nottalab.com/
• In collaboration with the McGuigan Lab in BioEngineering at the University of Toronto, we are engineering multi-cellular tissue environments at scale. http://www.mcguiganlab.com/
• Working to develop new reagents for CyTOF and Imaging Mass Cytometry we work closely with the Nitz Lab in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. https://sites.chem.utoronto.ca/nitz/

Even though our lab is currently close to capacity we are still always looking for creative and enthusiastic scientists to join our team. In particular, we are looking to recruit talented post-doctoral fellows who believe they would have a unique skill set to contribute to our lab. If you have scientific research goals that you believe will align with ours, please contact Dr. Hartland Jackson directly to discuss your work and future interests.