Faculty profile

Luke McCaffrey

ResearcherMcGill Cancer CentreMcGill University

This profile is built from public research funding records (CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC) and PubMed. We have not imported them from a McGill University directory, so their courses may be missing. Find their university profile.

Luke McCaffrey

Researcher

McGill Cancer Centre

Health Sciences

McGill University

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Supervision signals

Has led research grants, which requires an independent research appointment. Ask their department whether they supervise graduate students.
9 publications in the last five years, latest in 2026.
Senior (last) author on 3 recent papers, a sign of leading a research group.
Principal investigator on 7 research grants (6 CIHR, 1 NSERC), most recently in 2025.
Supervised 2 trainees who won CIHR awards, most recently in 2025.

These signals come from public records, including CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

Citations

h-index

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the works listed on the university profile; citation counts come from Dimensions.

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Signals and details

Research

Breast Cancer Cell Polarity Clinical Cancer Samples Crispr Early Cancer Detection Machine Learning/Ai Mouse Models Of Cancer Multiplexed Imaging

Latest papers

Neutrophil elastase-mediated myoepithelial loss is a therapeutic vulnerability in ductal carcinoma in situ progression.
Cell reports. Medicine · 2026
Apoptotic cell clearance triggers epithelial fate reprogramming during prostate regression.
Cell death & disease · 2026 · senior author
Gravity-based microfiltration reveals unexpected prevalence of circulating tumor cell clusters in ovarian and colorectal cancer.
Communications medicine · 2025

All 28 publications

Latest funding

T Cell Clonal Dynamics in Breast Cancer
CIHR · 2025 · Supervisor
$35,000
Defining the role of c-KIT positive luminal progenitor cells in breast cancer heterogeneity and endocrine therapy resistance
CIHR · 2025 · Supervisor
$120,000
Decoding Breast Cancer: How Intrinsic Factors and Distinct Tissue Microenvironments Collaboratively Drive Breast Cancer Initiation
CIHR · 2025 · Nominated PI
$1,000,000

All 13 grants and awards

28 publications.

Neutrophil elastase-mediated myoepithelial loss is a therapeutic vulnerability in ductal carcinoma in situ progression.

Taifour T, Gu Y, Massé A, Meng X, Echavez CD, Zuo D, Sanguin-Gendreau V, Blouin A, Graham-Paquin AL, Addie M, Solymoss E, Xiao B, Proud H, Attalla SS, Nam AJ, Papavasiliou V, Kuasne H, Siegel PM, Keyomarsi K, McCaffrey L, Park M, Muller WJ

Cell reports. Medicine2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2026.103050 PMID: 42727582

Apoptotic cell clearance triggers epithelial fate reprogramming during prostate regression.

Graham-Paquin AL, Saini D, Viala S, Whitford MK, Tremblay M, Pastor WA, Bouchard M, McCaffrey L

Cell death & disease2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1038/s41419-026-08565-9 PMID: 41963285

Gravity-based microfiltration reveals unexpected prevalence of circulating tumor cell clusters in ovarian and colorectal cancer.

Meunier A, Hernández-Castro JA, Chahley N, Communal L, Kheireddine S, Koushki N, Davoudvandi N, Al Habyan S, Péant B, Lazaris A, Ng A, Veres T, McCaffrey L, Provencher D, Metrakos P, Mes-Masson AM, Juncker D

Communications medicine2025

DOI: 10.1038/s43856-024-00702-9 PMID: 39900650

LGN loss randomizes spindle orientation and accelerates tumorigenesis in PTEN-deficient epidermis.

Viala S, Hadjadj C, Nathan V, Guiot MC, McCaffrey L, Cockburn K, Bouchard M

Molecular biology of the cell2024

DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e23-03-0111 PMID: 37991903

Ezh2 promotes mammary tumor initiation through epigenetic regulation of the Wnt and mTORC1 signaling pathways.

Liu L, Xiao B, Hirukawa A, Smith HW, Zuo D, Sanguin-Gendreau V, McCaffrey L, Nam AJ, Muller WJ

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2023

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303010120 PMID: 37549258

Ultrasoft edge-labelled hydrogel sensors reveal internal tissue stress patterns in invasive engineered tumors.

Lee W, Boghdady CM, Lelarge V, Leask RL, McCaffrey L, Moraes C

Biomaterials2023

DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122073 PMID: 36905756

Polarity in breast development and cancer.

Whitford MKM, McCaffrey L

Current topics in developmental biology2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.02.009 PMID: 37100520

3D chromatin remodeling potentiates transcriptional programs driving cell invasion.

Lebeau B, Jangal M, Zhao T, Wong CK, Wong N, Cañedo EC, Hébert S, Aguilar-Mahecha A, Chabot C, Buchanan M, Catterall R, McCaffrey L, Deblois G, Kleinman C, Park M, Basik M, Witcher M

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2022

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203452119 PMID: 36037342

Studying Cell Polarity Dynamics During Cancer Initiation Using Inducible 3D Organotypic Cultures.

Catterall R, Kurdieh R, McCaffrey L

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2035-9_26 PMID: 35147957

Revisiting tissue tensegrity: Biomaterial-based approaches to measure forces across length scales.

Boghdady CM, Kalashnikov N, Mok S, McCaffrey L, Moraes C

APL bioengineering2021

DOI: 10.1063/5.0046093 PMID: 34632250

T Cell Clonal Dynamics in Breast Cancer

SupervisorCIHR2025Cancer Research Society Doctoral Research Awards - CBCI

Principal investigators: Catterall, Rachel

Keywords: Breast Cancer; Hormone Receptor Positive; Immunotherapy; T-Cell

$35,000

Defining the role of c-KIT positive luminal progenitor cells in breast cancer heterogeneity and endocrine therapy resistance

SupervisorCIHR2025DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Principal investigators: Martel, Alexandrine

Keywords: Breast Cancer; C-Kit Receptor; Endocrine Therapy Resistance; Subtype Plasticity; Tumor Heterogeneity

$120,000

Decoding Breast Cancer: How Intrinsic Factors and Distinct Tissue Microenvironments Collaboratively Drive Breast Cancer Initiation

Nominated PICIHR2025Team Grant: Bringing Biology to Cancer Prevention - Breast Cancer

Principal investigators: McCaffrey, Luke M; Prakash, Ipshita; Ursini-Siegel, Giuseppina

Keywords: Breast Cancer; Clinical Cancer Samples; Crispr; Early Cancer Detection; Machine Learning/Ai; Mouse Models Of Cancer; Multiplexed Imaging; Secondary Prevention

$1,000,000

A histology platform to visualize cells, tissues and organs across living systems

Co-investigatorNSERC2024Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Cockburn, Katherine

Keywords: Animal models; Biomedical engineering; Cell biology; Cell morphology; Gene expression; Histology; Materials science; Tissue architecture; Tissue sectioning

$97,880

Regulation of apical basal polarity and epithelial architecture.

Principal investigatorNSERC2024Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: McCaffrey, Luke

Keywords: cell polarity; epithelial; trafficking; microscopy; plasma membrane; lumen formation

$47,000

Characterizing tissue-intrinsic barriers to malignant transformation in the breast epithelium

Nominated PICIHR2022Project Grant

Principal investigators: McCaffrey, Luke M

Keywords: Apical-Basal; Breast Cancer; Cancer Initiation; Cancer Prevention; Cell Polarity; Epithelia; Lumen

$1,048,050

Role and regulation of EPB41L5 in cancer-promoting cellular processes

Co-investigatorCIHR2022Project Grant

Principal investigators: Laprise, Patrick

Keywords: Breast Cancer; Cancer Progression; Cell Culture; Cell Signalling; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Invasion; Oligomerization; Patient-Derived Xenograft; Protein Expression In Tumours; Protein-Protein Interactions

$986,850

Overcoming suppressive micro-environments in early breast cancer progression

Nominated PICIHR2020Project Grant

Principal investigators: McCaffrey, Luke M

Keywords: 3d Organoid Models; Breast Cancer; Ductal Carcinoma In Situ; Genetically Modified Mouse Models; Immunology; Invasion; Patient-Derived Xenograft

$1,338,750

Targeting novel cancer-promoting pathways in breast cancer

Nominated PICIHR2019CIHR - ICR / Cancer Research Society Partnership - Research Grants

Principal investigators: McCaffrey, Luke M

Keywords: Breast Cancer

$60,000

Role of epigenetic modulation in breast cancer etiology and drug resistance.

Co-investigatorCIHR2017Operating Grant: Impact Grant : CEEHRC Phase II

Principal investigators: Muller, William J

Keywords: Breast Cancer; Epigenetic; Erbb2; Ezh2; Luminal B; Metastasis

$600,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

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Luke McCaffrey

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Neutrophil elastase-mediated myoepithelial loss is a therapeutic vulnerability in ductal carcinoma in situ progression.

Apoptotic cell clearance triggers epithelial fate reprogramming during prostate regression.

Gravity-based microfiltration reveals unexpected prevalence of circulating tumor cell clusters in ovarian and colorectal cancer.

LGN loss randomizes spindle orientation and accelerates tumorigenesis in PTEN-deficient epidermis.

Ezh2 promotes mammary tumor initiation through epigenetic regulation of the Wnt and mTORC1 signaling pathways.

Ultrasoft edge-labelled hydrogel sensors reveal internal tissue stress patterns in invasive engineered tumors.

Polarity in breast development and cancer.

3D chromatin remodeling potentiates transcriptional programs driving cell invasion.

Studying Cell Polarity Dynamics During Cancer Initiation Using Inducible 3D Organotypic Cultures.

Revisiting tissue tensegrity: Biomaterial-based approaches to measure forces across length scales.

A histology platform to visualize cells, tissues and organs across living systems

Regulation of apical basal polarity and epithelial architecture.

Frequent collaborators

Christopher Moraes

Morag Park

Michael Witcher

Moulay Alaoui-Jamali

Mark Basik

Maxime Bouchard

Teodor Veres

Claudia Kleinman

Morag Park

Sarkis Meterissian

Peter Metrakos

Philippe Gros

David Juncker

Patrick Laprise

ATILLA Omeroglu

Muriel Brackstone

Lynne-Marie Postovit

Teodor Veres