RPP Profile: Dr. Jason Berman

Nova Scotia is home to one of Canada's fastest-growing cancer research communities. The Dalhousie Cancer Research Program (DCRP) was launched in 2001 and has since attracted more than a dozen talented researchers to the province. At the same time, the IWK Health Centre (which works closely with Dalhousie Medical School, the DCRP and other agencies) has also recruited a number of top investigators to its cancer research team over the past few years.

One of the IWK Health Centre's top young stars is Dr. Jason Berman, who joined Dalhousie Medical School and the IWK from Harvard and Boston Children's Hospital in 2005. As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Berman brings unique research expertise to Canada. He is a pediatric hematologist/oncologist and uses zebrafish – small, striped fish that are remarkably similar to humans in their genetics and physiology – to study leukemia. In particular, Dr. Berman is tackling acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is the most difficult-to-treat form of the disease and accounts for roughly 20 percent of childhood leukemia.

"Only slightly more than half of these children can be cured through current therapies," he explains. "By studying blood-cell development in zebrafish – which happens in much the same way as in humans – we hope to pinpoint the genetic changes that lead to leukemia."

In 2007, Dr. Berman received funding from CIHR through its Regional Partnerships Program (RPP), which is designed to help build research capacity in targeted regions across the country, including Nova Scotia. The program was introduced to him by Dr. Jean Marshall, Head of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Dalhousie University. She encouraged Dr. Berman to apply for CIHR funding – partly because of the RPP opportunity. "Many of my senior colleagues have told me that they got their first CIHR funding through RPP," he notes.

Dr. Berman was in England when he received the news that he had been approved for funding under RPP. "I was on top of the world," he recalls. "As a junior investigator, your first attempt at national-level funding can be challenging. Sometimes peer reviewers want to see more background data in your application, but really, without 'stepping stone' funding like RPP, you might not have the ability or capacity to gather that data. This grant has allowed me to gather more data and really move my lab forward. I've been productive because of the RPP – I can't say enough about it."

Simply "productive" may be an understatement. The RPP funds contributed to one of the major areas of research in Dr. Berman's lab: identifying mast cells in zebrafish and characterizing them. Mast cells are responsible for many of the symptoms associated with inflammation and allergic reactions, but a failure in the process of their development may result in an expansion of abnormal mast cells and a condition called systemic mastocytosis (SM). This condition can evolve into AML, so Dr. Berman and his team are introducing SM-associated genes into the zebrafish to create a model for human SM that will help them screen for new effective treatments for this disease. A better understanding of mast cell development and the progression from SM to AML may not only improve our overall understanding of the molecular steps that lead to AML, but may also lead the way for new drug therapies that could intervene at the premalignant stage before progression to "full-blown" leukemia.

"Treatment for AML is not yet where we want it to be," says Dr. Berman. "Through the use of innovative, powerful genetic models like zebrafish, we are hoping to gain a better understanding of the molecular pathways underlying this disease and develop specific molecularly-targeted therapies that will improve the outcome for both children and adults living with this illness."

So far, the results of this research have led to the publication of a high-impact paper and a second paper describing a novel approach to examining blood cells in zebrafish. Dr. Berman is currently in the throes of writing a third paper, and the experiments for a fourth paper are underway. The RPP provided both salary support for the technical staff to complete some of these studies and operating funds for the lab. These studies were led by Dr. Berman's first graduate student, who recently completed his thesis in the lab.

Dr. Berman is also collaborating and engaging in knowledge translation with the regional research community. Zebrafish embryos are virtually transparent, so they allow researchers to study disease, test treatments, and monitor response under the microscope – frequently without sacrificing the fish. Dr. Berman is sharing his expertise in zebrafish models with other researchers who want to adopt this effective and humane research method and has been a founding member of the Atlantic Zebrafish User's Group (AZUG), which encompasses more than 10 laboratories that use the zebrafish model (all based in Atlantic Canada). He is coordinating the first regional symposium for this group in June at Dalhousie University. RPP funds have also been used to send trainees and personnel to disseminate their lab's findings at the International Zebrafish Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition, he is working with Dr. Patrick Lee (Dalhousie University) to examine the effects of DNA damage in transgenic zebrafish models.

Dr. Berman has also pulled together laboratory and clinical geneticists, adult and pediatric clinicians, and clinical laboratory directors to form the Cancer Genetics Research Group. Meanwhile, through his involvement with the Children's Oncology Group and, specifically, as a steering committee member of the Myeloid Disease committee, Dr. Berman and his colleagues are also evaluating clinical practices across Canada to identify the most effective ways of diagnosing, treating, and monitoring pediatric leukemias and lymphomas.

Along with his expertise and his recent funding experience, Dr. Berman's friendly and approachable personality has landed him the role of doing a lot of orientation and recruitment at Dalhousie University – even for people outside of his current realm in the Departments of Pediatrics (Division of Hematology/Oncology) and Microbiology & Immunology. "I always tell people about RPP," he says. "It's a unique opportunity and an excellent way to get national-level funding. RPP is an important vehicle for getting started. The first 3-6 years of a research career are critical for momentum, and RPP lets you build or maintain that momentum. Having RPP is important for attracting people and for encouraging them to continue to build programs of research."