Dr. Craig McCormick, PhD
Appointments:
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Affiliations:
Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine
Research Interests:
viral causes of cancer; focus on human herpesvirus-8 and Kaposi’s sarcoma
Understanding virus-triggered cancers
About 15 per cent of all cancers worldwide are caused by viruses. In the Viral Oncology Lab, Dr. Craig McCormick is studying how a recently discovered herpes virus – human herpesvirus-8 – triggers Kaposi’s sarcoma, a form of skin cancer that can be deadly in people with AIDS. He and his team are also investigating the links between hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections and the genesis of liver cancer. They aim to pinpoint the post-infection events that start the cancer process and trace the subsequent molecular steps as cancer develops. This knowledge will shed light on the origins of these cancers and may ultimately lead to effective new therapies.
