The Rubin lab approach to cancer research has grown in parallel with the rapid expansion of bioinformatics and sequencing technology over the past 10 years.  Our expertise in identifying functional biomarkers and investigating prostate cancer heterogeneity has led to key discoveries in the distinction between indolent and aggressive cancer types.  Our mission is to identify potential therapeutic targets and bridge the latest in cancer genetics research with individual patient oriented clinical care. The Rubin lab is based in Bern at the Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Switzerland.

Our Team

Mark Rubin, M.D.

Principal Investigator

Prof. Mark Rubin is a leader in the fields of prostate cancer biology and precision medicine as it applies to all cancers. Rubin’s laboratory led a series of landmark studies defining distinct molecular features of prostate cancer, revealing pathways that are perturbed and drive different types of this cancer. Subsequently, Rubin’s laboratory has been instrumental in establishing the mechanistic basis by which defined genomic alterations drive prostate cancers. His group discovered that mutations in the SPOP gene are among the most common in prostate cancer. Moreover, they demonstrated these mutations lead to genome instability, which permits prostate cancer cells to become more aggressive and resistant to therapy. Rubin’s work established that neuroendocrine prostate cancers arise from the aberrant activity of novel drivers, NMYC and AURKA that are distinct from other types of prostate cancers. Based on this work, Mark Rubin is involved in clinical trials aimed at evaluating the efficacy of AURKA inhibitors in treating neuroendocrine prostate cancer. He is also developing novel drugs to target advanced prostate cancer. Prof. Rubin has translated many of his genomic discoveries into clinical tests that are currently patented and standardly used in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. As the founding director of the Englander Precision Medicine Institute at Weill Cornell (New York, USA), he developed a cutting-edge genomics clinical lab and received the first New York State approval to use whole exome sequencing in the diagnosis and treatment of a broad variety of cancers. Mark Rubin was a recipient of the first American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award. In May 2017, Prof. Rubin joined the University of Bern as Professor and Director of the Department for Biomedical Research and also as President of the Bern Center for Precision Medicine.

Sina Maletti

Lab Manager

Dr. Andrej Benjak

Senior Bioinformatics Scientist

Phillip Thienger

Ph.D. Student

COLLABORATORS

Joana Cyrta, M.D.

Anke Augspach, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Muriel Jaquet

Laboratory Technician

Xiaoyue Deng

Master Student

Joana Triscott, Ph.D.

Irene Paassen, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Aino Paasinen

Laboratory Technician

PD Dr. med. Dilara Akhoundova

Seynabou Diop, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Associate

Marika Lehner

Laboratory Technician

Research Projects

Understanding non-canonical phosphatidylinositol kinases as vulnerabilities in prostate cancer metabolism (Dr. Joanna Triscott, Senior Postdoctoral Scientist)

Towards understanding the role of the minor spliceosome in prostate cancer (Dr. Anke Augspach, Postdoc)

Towards understanding and modulating epigenetic rewiring in AR-indifferent PCa (Phillip Thienger, PhD student)

Hijacking transcription-coupled DNA repair for cancer therapy (Dr. Laura Brandt, Postdoc)

In vitro modeling and genotype-specific therapeutic targeting of DNA repair deficient prostate cancer (Dr. med. Dilara Akhoundova, Medical Oncologist)

Molecular characterization and personalized in vitro models for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer (Dr. med. Dilara Akhoundova, Medical Oncologist).

Elucidating the role of the metastatic niche (finished)

Swiss Oncology and Cancer Immunology Breakthrough Platform (SOCIBP) for Precision Oncology (finished)

Towards a precision therapy for Speckle-type POZ protein (SPOP) mutant prostate cancer (finished)

Role of m6A methylation in post-transcriptional regulation and prostate cancer disease progression (finished)

NEWS

25 January 2024

Pfizer Research Prize

Congratulations to Dr. Joanna Triscott, who received a a Pfizer Research Prize for her research on the role of the lipid regulator PI5P4Kα in prostate cancer and its relationship with androgen hormone signalling, which promotes cancer cell survival.

8 June 2023

New publication

Minor intron splicing is critical for survival of lethal prostate cancer

11 May 2023

Promega Art Contest for Creative Scientists:

“Anke made it with her painting into the final 10 of the Promega Art Contest for Creative Scientists - congratulations”

01 February 2023

New publication:

PI5P4Kα supports prostate cancer metabolism and exposes a survival vulnerability during androgen receptor inhibition

27 October 2022

Prostate Cancer Foundation Challenge Award 2022

A project by Prof. Mark Rubin and Dr. Anke Augspach (DBMR), Prof. Kanadia (Univ. of Connecticut), and Prof. Rätsch (ETHZ) has received the prestigious Challenge Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation. This multidisciplinary team has received $1 mio to study the mechanisms of minor intron splicing and how inhibiting its machinery can create a new cancer specific vulnerability.

01 September 2022

New publication

Clinical application of advanced multi-omics tumor profiling: Shaping precision oncology of the future

24 May 2022

Bern Center for Precision Medicine Cancer Research Grant

Prof. Mark A. Rubin and Dr. Simone de Brot received this grant for their project on precision oncology approaches towards understanding prostate cancer lineage plasticity.

03 May 2022

New publication:

Alterations in homologous recombination repair genes in prostate cancer brain metastases

01 April 2022

SNF Project Research Grant:

Prof. Mark A. Rubin obtained support from SNF for the project “Towards understanding non-canonical phosphatidylinositol kinases as vulnerabilities in prostate cancer metabolism”.

29 March 2022

Nuovo-Soldati Foundation for Cancer Research

Dr. Dilara Akhoundova received a fellowship for her project on targeting homologous recombination deficiency in prostate cancer using in vitro models

31 January 2022

Kurt and Senta Herrmann Foundation Research Grant

Dr. Dilara Akhoundova got this support for her project on targeting of homologous recombination deficiency in prostate cancer using in vitro models

07 December 2021

ISREC Foundation Translational Research Grant

Prof. Mark A. Rubin received support for his project on advanced in vitro models of prostate cancer metastases

01 December 2021

Werner and Hedy Berger – Janser Foundation Cancer Research Grant

Prof. Mark A. Rubin received this grant for a project on molecular characterization, in vitro modelling and therapeutic targeting of prostate cancer liver metastases

05 November 2021

We moved to the brand-new DBMR research building at Murtenstrasse 24-28

05 June 2021

New publication:

Mapping of m6A and Its Regulatory Targets in Prostate Cancer Reveals a METTL3-Low Induction of Therapy Resistance

20 February 2020

BCPM Director Mark Rubin is interviewed (in German) on precision medicine and how it can improve the treatment of patients as well as promote disease prevention.

28 August 2019

Dr. Mark Rubin, was featured as one of the winners of ICPerMed "Best Practice in Personalised Medicine" Recognition 2019. His work, published in Cancer Discovery, was recognized as an outstanding example of best practices in personalised medicine. 

06 May 2019

New publication:

Genomic correlates of clinical outcome in advanced prostate cancer. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

20 March 2019

New book:

Prostate Cancer, in the Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine series.

Edited by Michael Shen, PhD and Mark Rubin, MD

Group AFFILIATions

Contact Us

Department for BioMedical Research

Murtenstrasse 24
3008 Bern, Switzerland

+41 31 684 04 02