Dr. Thomas Duchaine

Dr. Duchaine is Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at McGill University. For more than 29 years, his research elucidated the genetic and molecular basis for the functions of mRNAs and non-coding RNAs in the control of gene expression across a diversity of physiological contexts and in cancer. A renown expert on mRNA biochemistry and molecular genetics, his research program currently details how 3’-untranslated regions (3' UTRs) of mRNAs, and their interacting co-factors dictate mRNA translation, stability, and decay.

He mentored more than 40 trainees over the years, most of which later led careers as independent researchers or scientists in academia, as clinicians, and in RNA-related careers in industry. In recent years, Dr. Duchaine lead initiatives to translate deep expertise on RNA at McGill and in Québec toward industry and clinical applications, among others by founding McGill Centre for RNA Sciences (MCRS), which he currently directs.