Biography
Dr. Ben Tsang is Senior Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Cellular & Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa. He completed his undergraduate training in chemistry at Bemidji State University, received MSc (Biochemistry) from the University of Iowa, and Ph.D. (Pharmacology) from the University of Ottawa. In 1980, Dr. Tsang joined the University of Ottawa as the Director, Reproductive Biology Unit and initiated a research-intensive academic program in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He served as Associate Chair (Research) of the Department, and developed a multi-disciplinary reproductive health research program in Ottawa. As the Director of Research of the Ottawa Civic Hospital, he played a central role in research development at the Loeb Research Institute.
Honours and awards
| 2012 | Angel Award for ovarian cancer research excellence, Angels in Action and Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation |
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| 2011 | OCRI Research Award, Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovations |
| 2008 | Award of Excellence in Reproductive Medicine, Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, Canada. |
| 2008 | Outstanding Alumnus, Bemidji State University, Minnesota, USA |
| 2005 | J. David Grimes Research Career Achievement Award, Ottawa Health Research Institute |
| 2003 | JSPS Visiting Professorship, Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan |
| 2002 | University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine Recognition Award for Contributions in Medical Education |
| 1996 | Award of Excellence, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, in recognition of outstanding achievement or contribution to the Faculty in research, scholarship, education, or other contributions to the life of the Faculty. |
| 2005 | Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Sino-Canada Bilateral Program in Reproductive Health Research |
| 2004 | Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Canada-Japan Bilateral Exchange Program in Reproductive Biology and Human Reproduction |
| 2004 | Program Director, CIHR-funded, Strategic Training Initiative in Research in Reproductive Health Sciences |
Research interests
Professor Tsang is an internationally recognized ovarian biologist, who has the insight and ability in bringing fundamental research into the clinical context. His team of basic scientists and clinical investigators address important reproductive health issues, including female infertility, ovarian cancer and pregnancy complications. Dr. Tsang’s research program covers the broad area of cell fate regulation in women’s reproductive health. He and his team are examining the cell signaling pathways involved in the regulation of ovarian cell survival and apoptosis and have defined the basic mechanisms governing normal ovarian follicular growth and offered important insights into the pathophysiology of various ovarian disorders associated with infertility, including polycystic ovarian syndrome. In addition, his research on the molecular and cellular basis of chemoresistance in ovarian cancer has provided key information for the development of new therapy for chemoresistant ovarian cancer, a most lethal cancer in women.
Selected publications
- Abedini MR, Wang PW, Huang YF, Cao MJ, Chou CY, Shieh DB and Tsang BK. Cell Fate Regulation by Gelsolin in Human Gynecologic Cancers. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA (2014, In Press).
- Farrand L, Byun S, Kim JY, Im-Aram A, Lee JH, LimS, Lee KW, Suh JY, Lee HJ and Tsang BK. Piceatannol enhances cisplatin sensitivity in ovarian cancer through modulation of the p53 tumor suppressor pathway and induction of mitochondrial fission. J. Biol. Chem. 288: 23740-23750 (2013)
- Abedini MR, Muller EJ, Brun J, Bergeron R, Gray DA, Tsang BK. Cisplatin induces p53-dependent FLICE-like inhibitory protein ubiquitination in ovarian cancer cells. Cancer Research 68(12): 4511-4517 (2008).
- Kim JY, Xue K, Wang Q, Liu JY, Leader A, Han JY and Tsang BK. Chemerin Suppresses Ovarian Follicular Development and Its Potential Involvement in Follicular Arrest in Rats treated Chronically with Dihydrotestosterone. Endocrinology 154: 2912–2923 (2013).
- Wang Q, Leader A and Tsang BK. Inhibitory role of prohibitin and chemerin in FSH-induced rat granulosa cell steroidogenesis. Endocrinology 154: 956-967 (2013).
- Xue K, Liu JY, Murphy BR and Tsang BK. Orphan nuclear receptor NR4A1 is a negative regulator of DHT-induced rat preantral follicular growth. Molecular Endocrinology 26: 2004-2015 (2012)