Susan Lees-Miller

Dr. Susan Lees-Miller

Ph.D., F.R.S.C
Pronouns: She/her

Positions

Professor

Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Member

Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute

Member

Robson DNA Science Centre

Contact information

Email

leesmill@ucalgary.ca

Phone number

Office: 403.220.7628
Lab: 403.220.6051

Location

Office: HRIC2A22

Preferred method of communication

Admin Assistant

Marcia Garcia

Email: marcia.garcia@ucalgary.ca

Office: 403.220.2481
Fax: 403.270.7307

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Research partners

Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows

Background

Educational Background

B.S. Biochemistry, University College of Wales, Swansea, UK, 1979

Doctor of Philosophy Biochemistry, University College of Wales, Swansea, 1982

Biography

Dr. Lees-Miller obtained her BSc and PhD from the University of Wales. She carried out post-doctoral training at the Biochemistry Department at the University of Alberta and Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY before joining the University of Calgary, Department of Biological Sciences in 1992 as an Assistant Professor. In 2003 she joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Lees-Miller has over 150 publications that have been cited over 25,000 times, and with an h-index of 89. Dr. Lees-Miller is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.  

Research

Areas of Research

Area of Focus
  • Mechanisms of DNA double strand break repair
Summary of Research

The main focus of our lab is to understand how cells detect and repair DNA damage induced by ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs. Of particular interest are the roles of the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) in the cellular response to DNA damage. A major goal is to use our knowledge of the DNA damage response to develop novel approaches to improve cancer treatment. We are currently exploring the use of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors to target ATM deficient cancers and the role of PI3 kinase in cisplatin resistance.

Our DNA is under constant threat from DNA damaging agents. Paradoxically DNA damaging agents such as ionizing radiation and chemotherapy are used to treat cancer. Our lab studies how cells respond to DNA damage induced by ionizing radiation, such as that used to treat cancer patients. Our main research focus is the mechanism of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), which is the major pathway used by human cells to repair DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation. We discovered some of the main players in this pathway over 30 years ago and my lab has made major contributions to understanding the mechanism of NHEJ. We have published over 200 research articles in this area that have been cited over 25,000 times, with an h-index of 89. One of our most recent contributions was, in collaboration with Dr. Yuan He of Northwestern University, USA, determining the structure of  multi-protein-DNA NHEJ complexes using cryo-electron microscopy. These findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature in 2021. 

Participation in university strategic initiatives

Infections, inflammation and chronic diseases

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
BCEM 547 LEC 01 01 Signal Trans & Reg Metabolism 2021
CMMB 561 LEC 01 01 (MDSC 561) Cancer Biology 2020
MDGE 626 Mechanisms of DNA damage and repair Winter 2021
MDGE 629 Immunology Fall 2020

Awards

  • Fellow, Royal Society of Canada. 2010
  • Engineered Air Chair in Cancer Research , Alberta Cancer Foundation, private donation, University of Calgary. 2003
  • Scientist , Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. 2007
  • Senior Scientist, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. 2012
  • Smith Distinguished Achievement Award , Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary. 2005
  • Smith Distinguished Achievement Award , Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary. 2011
  • SAGE Award (Schultz Award for General Excellence), Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Calgary.. 2004
  • Investigator , Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 2002
  • Senior Scholar, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. 2002
  • Award for Research Excellence, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary. 2000
  • Women's Faculty Award , NSERC. 1992
  • SAGE Award (Schultz Award for General Excellence), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary.. 2014
  • SAGE Award (Schultz Award for General Excellence), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary.. 2020
  • Annual Professor Award, Killam Foundation. 2013

Publications

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Scopus

PubMed