Perry Howard

(He, Him, His)

Department Head, Associate Professor

Biology

Office: SCI 156
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2-3 pm
Phone: 250.807.8942
Email: perry.howard@ubc.ca

Research Summary

Ars2 in RNA biogenesis; RNA processing in stem cells; regulation of Pax6 by miRNA; rewiring of tyrosine pathway in cancer.

Courses & Teaching

Cell Signaling, Gene Expression, Introduction to Biochemistry and Human Health, Scientific writing for graduate students.

Biography

Perry Howard is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of British Columbia and currently serves as the Head of the Department of Biology at the Okanagan campus. Prior to joining UBC, Perry was the department chair at UVic from 2015 to 2024. He completed a BSc in Biology Co-op at the University of Waterloo in 1992 and his PhD in Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto in 1999. As a postdoctoral fellow, he studied molecular oncology at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. He began his academic appointment at the University of Victoria in 2003. His work focuses on understanding, at the molecular level, the processes governing cellular decision-making and how those processes are subverted in human diseases. In 2024, he joined the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus, where he continues to work on RNA processing in stem cells.

Degrees

PhD University of Toronto
BSc University of Waterloo

Research Interests & Projects

My work focusses on understanding at the molecular level processes governing cellular decision making and how those processes are subverted in human diseases. More recently, my lab has also been working on how to translate this basic scientific discovery into treatments for human conditions such as blindness and malignancy. This work has been funded through various sources including NSERC, Foundation Fighting Blindness, Cancer Research Society, and the Sharon Stewart Trust.

The life of an RNAPII RNA is highly coordinated from the beginning of transcription to degradation. This coordination of recruitment, assembly, disassembly of RNA-protein complexes plays a critical role in cellular responses to stress and underpins many pathological processes. My lab discovered a gene, called Ars2 (gene), which is a nexus for RNAPII RNA processing and turnover. Through my NSERC funded program, we have led in the characterization of the biological roles of ARS2 and how it functions. We are currently focused on the role of ARS2 in nonsense mediated decay and ER stress caused by arsenic treatment. The long term goal of my research program is to address the complete role of ARS2 in RNAPII transcript lifecycle.

Selected Publications & Presentations

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=a24MOBwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Selected Grants & Awards

NSERC Discovery