Geoff Hicks

University of Manitoba
Dr. Geoff Hicks has been a member of CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute for most of his scientific career – beginning in 1985 with his PhD training in Dr Michael Mowat’s lab. His thesis work included some of the first evidence that the cancer gene “Trp53” is actually a tumor suppressor gene. In 1991 Hicks started his post doctoral work at MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts under the mentorship of Dr Earl Ruley. There he developed a genome wide tool to identify new tumor suppressor genes, Tagged Sequence Mutagenesis that has been described as a major paradigm shift in mammalian functional genomics. The experimental concept of using a sequence-based screen was fundamentally different from previous approaches and today is the basis of major international initiatives that followed. Dr. Hicks was recruited back to CCMR as a Principal Investigator.
As a CIHR Canada Research Chair in Functional Genomics, he quickly became recognized internationally for his expertise in the genetic modeling of human disease and high throughput functional genomics. As the Director of the Mammalian Functional Genomics Centre, located at the CCMR, he has led several large-scale international projects including NorCOMM, the Canadian component of The International Knockout Mouse Project from Genome Canada and other partners to create knockout mice lines for each of the approximately 20,000 mouse genes. In 2008, Dr. Hicks became the inaugural Director of the Regenerative Medicine Program in the University of Manitoba’s College of Medicine. The 8 Principal Investigators of the program focus on stem cell-based applications for the treatment of human disease, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and spinal cord injury repair. Dr. Hicks is currently also a PI of the Kid’s Brain Health Network National Center of Excellence, Scientific Co-Chair of CIHR’s Rare Disease Models & Mechanisms Network, an Institute Advisory Board member of the CIHR Institute of Genetics and a past member of the Medical Review Panel, Gairdner International Awards.