Van Andel Institute Virtual Public Lecture Series: From fish to dish - How a little fish can help cure cancer

Can a tiny fish frequently found in kids’ aquariums help us cure cancer? The answer might surprise you. Join Van Andel Institute’s Dr. Stephanie Grainger for an exploration of how zebrafish help scientists better understand cancer and fuel new insights that one day could lead to powerful new treatments.

Dr. Stephanie Grainger is an authority on the biological underpinnings of how stem cells develop, and how these processes can go awry during cancer. She earned her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Medicine from the University of Ottawa, where she investigated the role of Cdx transcription factors in intestinal development. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the labs of Dr. David Traver and Dr. Karl Willert at University of California, San Diego. Her research during this time sought to understand the role of Wnt signaling in hematopoietic stem cell development — work that she continued as an assistant professor at San Diego State University. During this time, she discovered a novel stage of hematopoietic stem cell development, which is driven by a specific Wnt cue. Furthermore, she discovered a novel mechanism of Wnt signal regulation.  In 2021, Dr. Grainger joined Van Andel Institute’s Department of Cell Biology.