Torsten O. Nielsen
托斯滕·尼尔森
MD, PhD, FRCPC
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine; Canada Research Chair in Sarcoma Genomics病理学与实验室医学教授；加拿大肉瘤基因组研究讲席
👥Biography 个人简介
Torsten Nielsen holds the Canada Research Chair in Sarcoma Genomics at the University of British Columbia and is a leading authority on the molecular pathology of synovial sarcoma, liposarcoma, and other translocation-associated sarcomas. His laboratory produced foundational work characterizing the SS18-SSX fusion oncoprotein's epigenetic mechanism of action, including its role in BAF complex hijacking and polycomb antagonism. He also co-developed widely used diagnostic molecular tools for sarcoma subtype identification and MDM2/CDK4 FISH assays for liposarcoma.
🧪Research Fields 研究领域
🎓Key Contributions 主要贡献
SS18-SSX Epigenetic Mechanism in Synovial Sarcoma
Demonstrated that the SS18-SSX fusion protein incorporates into the BAF (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex, displacing BAF47/SMARCB1 and redirecting the complex to activate polycomb-repressed loci, providing the mechanistic basis for synovial sarcoma epigenetic oncogenesis and identifying EZH2 inhibition as a rational therapeutic target.
MDM2/CDK4 Amplification Diagnostics in Liposarcoma
Co-developed and validated MDM2 and CDK4 FISH and immunohistochemistry assays as diagnostic tools for well-differentiated and dedifferentiated liposarcoma, enabling accurate distinction from benign lipomatous tumors and informing targeted therapy eligibility.
Sarcoma Molecular Subtyping Classifier
Contributed to the development and validation of RNA expression-based molecular classifiers for soft tissue sarcoma subtype identification, enabling accurate diagnosis in challenging cases and research into sarcoma biology.
Representative Works 代表性著作
SS18-SSX Fusion Oncoprotein Hijacks BAF Complex to Drive Synovial Sarcoma
Cancer Cell (2017)
Mechanistic study demonstrating how SS18-SSX rewires the BAF chromatin remodeling complex to activate oncogenic transcription in synovial sarcoma.
Identification of Prognostic Subtypes in Liposarcoma by MDM2 and CDK4 Amplification Analysis
Modern Pathology (2012)
Validation study of MDM2 and CDK4 molecular diagnostic assays in the classification of liposarcoma subtypes.
Expression Profiling of Soft Tissue Neoplasms: A Molecular Subclassification for Diagnostic and Predictive Purposes
Journal of Pathology (2015)
Development of RNA expression-based molecular classifier for sarcoma subtype identification.
🏆Awards & Recognition 奖项与荣誉
📄Data Sources 数据来源
Last updated: 2026-01-15 | All information from publicly available academic sources
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