Girish M. Shah, Ph.D.
Senior Researcher and Head
Laboratory for Skin Cancer Research
Laval University Medical Research Center (CHUL)

Door # S16, Block B
2705, Laurier Boulevard
Quebec, Quebec
Canada G1V 4G2
Tel: (418) 656-4141 / Ext. 48259
Fax: (418) 654-2739

Dr. Girish Shah is currently an Associate Professor of the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University. He has been chief of the Laboratory for Skin Cancer Research at the CHUL (CHUQ) Hospital Research Centre of Laval University since 1997.

Dr Shah completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from M.S. University of Baroda, India in the field of chemical carcinogenesis in 1988. He had two post-doctoral stints in the fields of molecular oncology and DNA damage-responses at the Swiss Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne, Switzerland and Laval University, respectively.

Dr. Shah's research is focused on carcinoid neuroendocrine tumors and solar ultraviolet radiation-induced skin cancers with specific emphasis on DNA damage, DNA repair and cell death processes, which can influence either the development of these cancers or their resistance to therapy. Dr. Shah has authored 44 peer-reviewed articles, which have been cited more than 1,500 times in literature. In addition, he has authored 5 book chapters and 93 presentations at the meetings.

Dr. Shah's team, in collaboration with two carcinoid clinicians in Canada and USA, recently reported that nearly ¼ of the carcinoid patients suffer from subclinical niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency, an incidence that is much higher than pellagra, the clinical niacin deficiency syndrome reported in these patients. His recent work examines whether this biochemical anomaly can be exploited as a target for therapy of carcinoid cancer.

Dr. Shah has received an award for the "Outstanding Achievement in Carcinoid/Neuroendocrine Tumor Research" in 2006 from the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation Inc. USA. Dr. Shah has also been a recipient of the Research Scholar awards from the Quebec Heath Research Fund (FRSQ). Dr. Shah's research on carcinoid cancer is supported by the Cancer Research Society Inc. of Canada and by the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation of USA. His work on the skin cancer is supported by the National Cancer Institute of Canada with the funds from the Canadian Cancer Society.

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