Houlahan Lab Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences & Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University

Research

The Houlahan lab integrates large-scale, diverse tumour multi-omic data with statistical and machine learning models to uncover the impact of inherited DNA variants on tumour evolution.

Highlighted

Germline-mediated immunoediting sculpts breast cancer subtypes and metastatic proclivity
Germline-mediated immunoediting sculpts breast cancer subtypes and metastatic proclivity
Kathleen E. Houlahan, Aziz Khan, Noah F. Greenwald, Cristina Sotomayor Vivas, Robert B. West, Michael Angelo, Christina Curtis
Science  ·  31 May 2024  ·  doi:10.1126/science.adh8697
A polygenic two-hit hypothesis for prostate cancer
A polygenic two-hit hypothesis for prostate cancer
Kathleen E Houlahan, Julie Livingstone, Natalie S Fox, Natalie Kurganovs, Helen Zhu, …, Joachim Weischenfeldt, Housheng H He, Rayjean J Hung, Christopher M Hovens, Paul C Boutros
JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute  ·  05 Jan 2023  ·  doi:10.1093/jnci/djad001
Genome-wide germline correlates of the epigenetic landscape of prostate cancer
Genome-wide germline correlates of the epigenetic landscape of prostate cancer
Kathleen E. Houlahan, Yu-Jia Shiah, Alexander Gusev, Jiapei Yuan, Musaddeque Ahmed, …, Matthew L. Freedman, Ram S. Mani, Housheng H. He, Robert G. Bristow, Paul C. Boutros
Nature Medicine  ·  01 Oct 2019  ·  doi:10.1038/s41591-019-0579-z

All

2024

Insights on Future Directions in Cancer Research from the AACR NextGen Stars
Insights on Future Directions in Cancer Research from the AACR NextGen Stars
Israel Cañadas, Gabriele Casirati, Kathleen E. Houlahan, Kara N. Maxwell, Arnav Mehta, Abhijit Parolia, Olivier Saulnier, Alison M. Taylor, Claire E. Thomas, Ignacio Vázquez-García
Cancer Discovery  ·  04 Sep 2024  ·  doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-24-0774
Analysis of ductal carcinoma in situ by self-reported race reveals molecular differences related to outcome.
Analysis of ductal carcinoma in situ by self-reported race reveals molecular differences related to outcome.
Siri H Strand, Kathleen E Houlahan, Vernal Branch, Thomas Lynch, Belén Rivero-Guitiérrez, …, Kouros Owzar, Jeffrey R Marks, Graham A Colditz, E Shelley Hwang, Robert B West
Breast cancer research : BCR  ·  02 Sep 2024  ·  pmid:39223670
Germline-mediated immunoediting sculpts breast cancer subtypes and metastatic proclivity
Germline-mediated immunoediting sculpts breast cancer subtypes and metastatic proclivity
Kathleen E. Houlahan, Aziz Khan, Noah F. Greenwald, Cristina Sotomayor Vivas, Robert B. West, Michael Angelo, Christina Curtis
Science  ·  31 May 2024  ·  doi:10.1126/science.adh8697

2023

Deterministic evolution and stringent selection during preneoplasia.
Deterministic evolution and stringent selection during preneoplasia.
Kasper Karlsson, Moritz J Przybilla, Eran Kotler, Aziz Khan, Hang Xu, …, Zhicheng Ma, Carlos J Suarez, Chris P Barnes, Calvin J Kuo, Christina Curtis
Nature  ·  31 May 2023  ·  pmid:37258665
A polygenic two-hit hypothesis for prostate cancer
A polygenic two-hit hypothesis for prostate cancer
Kathleen E Houlahan, Julie Livingstone, Natalie S Fox, Natalie Kurganovs, Helen Zhu, …, Joachim Weischenfeldt, Housheng H He, Rayjean J Hung, Christopher M Hovens, Paul C Boutros
JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute  ·  05 Jan 2023  ·  doi:10.1093/jnci/djad001

2022

Molecular classification and biomarkers of clinical outcome in breast ductal carcinoma in situ: Analysis of TBCRC 038 and RAHBT cohorts.
Molecular classification and biomarkers of clinical outcome in breast ductal carcinoma in situ: Analysis of TBCRC 038 and RAHBT cohorts.
Siri H Strand, Belén Rivero-Gutiérrez, Kathleen E Houlahan, Jose A Seoane, Lorraine M King, …, Carlo Maley, Jeffrey R Marks, Graham A Colditz, E Shelley Hwang, Robert B West
Cancer cell  ·  17 Nov 2022  ·  pmid:36400020
Targeted profiling of human extrachromosomal DNA by CRISPR-CATCH.
Targeted profiling of human extrachromosomal DNA by CRISPR-CATCH.
King L Hung, Jens Luebeck, Siavash R Dehkordi, Caterina I Colón, Rui Li, …, William J Greenleaf, Roger S Lo, Paul S Mischel, Vineet Bafna, Howard Y Chang
Nature genetics  ·  17 Oct 2022  ·  pmid:36253572
Prostate Cancer Transcriptomic Regulation by the Interplay of Germline Risk Alleles, Somatic Mutations, and 3D Genomic Architecture
Prostate Cancer Transcriptomic Regulation by the Interplay of Germline Risk Alleles, Somatic Mutations, and 3D Genomic Architecture
Jiapei Yuan, Kathleen E. Houlahan, Susmita G. Ramanand, Sora Lee, GuemHee Baek, …, Yong Chen, Douglas W. Strand, Michael Q. Zhang, Paul C. Boutros, Ram S. Mani
Cancer Discovery  ·  15 Sep 2022  ·  doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-22-0027
Combinatorial immunotherapies overcome MYC-driven immune evasion in triple negative breast cancer.
Combinatorial immunotherapies overcome MYC-driven immune evasion in triple negative breast cancer.
Joyce V Lee, Filomena Housley, Christina Yau, Rachel Nakagawa, Juliane Winkler, …, Hope S Rugo, Christina Curtis, Juha Klefström, Mehrdad Matloubian, Andrei Goga
Nature communications  ·  27 Jun 2022  ·  pmid:35760778

2021

<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34019808" class="citation-image" aria-label="A tumor "personality" test to guide therapeutic decision making." > <img src="" alt="A tumor "personality" test to guide therapeutic decision making." loading="lazy" onerror="this.src = '/images/fallback.svg'; this.onerror = null;" > </a>
A tumor "personality" test to guide therapeutic decision making.
Kathleen E Houlahan, Christina Curtis
Cancer cell  ·  20 May 2021  ·  pmid:34019808

2020

The DNA methylation landscape of advanced prostate cancer.
The DNA methylation landscape of advanced prostate cancer.
Shuang G Zhao, William S Chen, Haolong Li, Adam Foye, Meng Zhang, …, Arul M Chinnaiyan, Christopher A Maher, Eric J Small, David A Quigley, Felix Y Feng
Nature genetics  ·  13 Jul 2020  ·  pmid:32661416
The landscape of RNA polymerase II–associated chromatin interactions in prostate cancer
The landscape of RNA polymerase II–associated chromatin interactions in prostate cancer
Susmita G. Ramanand, Yong Chen, Jiapei Yuan, Kelly Daescu, Maryou B.K. Lambros, …, Chao Xing, Paul C. Boutros, Johann de Bono, Michael Q. Zhang, Ram S. Mani
Journal of Clinical Investigation  ·  22 Jun 2020  ·  doi:10.1172/JCI134260

2019

Genome-wide germline correlates of the epigenetic landscape of prostate cancer
Genome-wide germline correlates of the epigenetic landscape of prostate cancer
Kathleen E. Houlahan, Yu-Jia Shiah, Alexander Gusev, Jiapei Yuan, Musaddeque Ahmed, …, Matthew L. Freedman, Ram S. Mani, Housheng H. He, Robert G. Bristow, Paul C. Boutros
Nature Medicine  ·  01 Oct 2019  ·  doi:10.1038/s41591-019-0579-z
Modelling the MYC-driven normal-to-tumour switch in breast cancer.
Modelling the MYC-driven normal-to-tumour switch in breast cancer.
Corey Lourenco, Manpreet Kalkat, Kathleen E Houlahan, Jason De Melo, Joseph Longo, Susan J Done, Paul C Boutros, Linda Z Penn
Disease models & mechanisms  ·  26 Jul 2019  ·  pmid:31350286
Molecular Hallmarks of Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging Visibility in Prostate Cancer.
Molecular Hallmarks of Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging Visibility in Prostate Cancer.
Kathleen E Houlahan, Amirali Salmasi, Taylor Y Sadun, Aydin Pooli, Ely R Felker, …, Steven S Raman, Preeti Ahuja, Anthony E Sisk, Paul C Boutros, Robert E Reiter
European urology  ·  24 Jan 2019  ·  pmid:30685078
BPG: Seamless, automated and interactive visualization of scientific data.
BPG: Seamless, automated and interactive visualization of scientific data.
Christine P’ng, Jeffrey Green, Lauren C Chong, Daryl Waggott, Stephenie D Prokopec, …, Aileen Lu, Yu-Jia Shiah, Amin Zia, Ryan Kearns, Paul C Boutros
BMC bioinformatics  ·  21 Jan 2019  ·  pmid:30665349
PLATYPUS: A Multiple-View Learning Predictive Framework for Cancer Drug Sensitivity Prediction.
PLATYPUS: A Multiple-View Learning Predictive Framework for Cancer Drug Sensitivity Prediction.
Kiley Graim, Verena Friedl, Kathleen E Houlahan, Joshua M Stuart
Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing. Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing  ·  01 Jan 2019  ·  pmid:30864317

2018

Combining accurate tumor genome simulation with crowdsourcing to benchmark somatic structural variant detection.
Combining accurate tumor genome simulation with crowdsourcing to benchmark somatic structural variant detection.
Anna Y Lee, Adam D Ewing, Kyle Ellrott, Yin Hu, Kathleen E Houlahan, …, Gustavo Stolovitzky, David Haussler, Adam A Margolin, Joshua M Stuart, Paul C Boutros
Genome biology  ·  06 Nov 2018  ·  pmid:30400818
Valection: design optimization for validation and verification studies.
Valection: design optimization for validation and verification studies.
Christopher I Cooper, Delia Yao, Dorota H Sendorek, Takafumi N Yamaguchi, Christine P’ng, …, Kyle Ellrott, Adam A Margolin, Robert G Bristow, Joshua M Stuart, Paul C Boutros
BMC bioinformatics  ·  25 Sep 2018  ·  pmid:30253747
MYC dephosphorylation by the PP1/PNUTS phosphatase complex regulates chromatin binding and protein stability
MYC dephosphorylation by the PP1/PNUTS phosphatase complex regulates chromatin binding and protein stability
Dharmendra Dingar, William B. Tu, Diana Resetca, Corey Lourenco, Aaliya Tamachi, …, Manpreet Kalkat, Pak-Kei Chan, Paul C. Boutros, Brian Raught, Linda Z. Penn
Nature Communications  ·  29 Aug 2018  ·  doi:10.1038/s41467-018-05660-0
The Evolutionary Landscape of Localized Prostate Cancers Drives Clinical Aggression.
The Evolutionary Landscape of Localized Prostate Cancers Drives Clinical Aggression.
Shadrielle Melijah G Espiritu, Lydia Y Liu, Yulia Rubanova, Vinayak Bhandari, Erle M Holgersen, …, Michael Fraser, Theodorus van der Kwast, Quaid D Morris, Robert G Bristow, Paul C Boutros
Cell  ·  19 Apr 2018  ·  pmid:29681457
Pathogenic Germline Variants in 10,389 Adult Cancers.
Pathogenic Germline Variants in 10,389 Adult Cancers.
Kuan-Lin Huang, R Jay Mashl, Yige Wu, Deborah I Ritter, Jiayin Wang, …, Ken Chen, Ilya Shmulevich, Sharon E Plon, Feng Chen, Li Ding
Cell  ·  05 Apr 2018  ·  pmid:29625052
Germline contamination and leakage in whole genome somatic single nucleotide variant detection.
Germline contamination and leakage in whole genome somatic single nucleotide variant detection.
Dorota H Sendorek, Cristian Caloian, Kyle Ellrott, J Christopher Bare, Takafumi N Yamaguchi, …, Kathleen E Houlahan, Thea C Norman, Adam A Margolin, Joshua M Stuart, Paul C Boutros
BMC bioinformatics  ·  31 Jan 2018  ·  pmid:29385983

2017

Compendium of TCDD-mediated transcriptomic response datasets in mammalian model systems.
Compendium of TCDD-mediated transcriptomic response datasets in mammalian model systems.
Stephenie D Prokopec, Kathleen E Houlahan, Ren X Sun, John D Watson, Cindy Q Yao, …, Jere Lindén, Sanna Lensu, Allan B Okey, Raimo Pohjanvirta, Paul C Boutros
BMC genomics  ·  13 Jan 2017  ·  pmid:28086803
Genomic hallmarks of localized, non-indolent prostate cancer.
Genomic hallmarks of localized, non-indolent prostate cancer.
Michael Fraser, Veronica Y Sabelnykova, Takafumi N Yamaguchi, Lawrence E Heisler, Julie Livingstone, …, Bernard Tetu, Theodorus van der Kwast, John D McPherson, Robert G Bristow, Paul C Boutros
Nature  ·  09 Jan 2017  ·  pmid:28068672

2015

Transcriptional profiling of rat white adipose tissue response to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-ρ-dioxin.
Transcriptional profiling of rat white adipose tissue response to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-ρ-dioxin.
Kathleen E Houlahan, Stephenie D Prokopec, Ren X Sun, Ivy D Moffat, Jere Lindén, Sanna Lensu, Allan B Okey, Raimo Pohjanvirta, Paul C Boutros
Toxicology and applied pharmacology  ·  29 Jul 2015  ·  pmid:26232522
Combining tumor genome simulation with crowdsourcing to benchmark somatic single-nucleotide-variant detection.
Combining tumor genome simulation with crowdsourcing to benchmark somatic single-nucleotide-variant detection.
Adam D Ewing, Kathleen E Houlahan, Yin Hu, Kyle Ellrott, Cristian Caloian, …, Stephen H Friend, Gustavo Stolovitzky, Adam A Margolin, Joshua M Stuart, Paul C Boutros
Nature methods  ·  18 May 2015  ·  pmid:25984700

2014

Transcriptional profiling of rat hypothalamus response to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-ρ-dioxin.
Transcriptional profiling of rat hypothalamus response to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-ρ-dioxin.
Kathleen E Houlahan, Stephenie D Prokopec, Ivy D Moffat, Jere Lindén, Sanna Lensu, Allan B Okey, Raimo Pohjanvirta, Paul C Boutros
Toxicology  ·  18 Dec 2014  ·  pmid:25529477
Cross-species transcriptomic analysis elucidates constitutive aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity.
Cross-species transcriptomic analysis elucidates constitutive aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity.
Ren X Sun, Lauren C Chong, Trent T Simmons, Kathleen E Houlahan, Stephenie D Prokopec, …, Jere Lindén, Christine P’ng, Allan B Okey, Raimo Pohjanvirta, Paul C Boutros
BMC genomics  ·  03 Dec 2014  ·  pmid:25467400