Peter Kannu

Area of Study / Keywords

Bone cartilage

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About

Dr. Peter Kannu is a physician-scientist, clinical geneticist, and Chair of the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Alberta. He also holds the Shriners Research Chair in Scoliosis. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying skeletal disorders and translating these discoveries into new approaches to bone regeneration and repair. His laboratory investigates rare genetic bone diseases, including osteofibrous dysplasia and skeletal dysplasias, and develops RNA-based technologies, including self-amplifying RNA, to control cell fate and promote bone formation. Dr. Kannu is actively involved in training undergraduate and graduate students, clinical trainees, and postdoctoral researchers in genetics, molecular biology, and regenerative medicine.

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Research

Dr. Kannu's research seeks to understand why bone formation and repair fail in genetic disease, and how those biological insights can be used to develop new regenerative approaches.

A major part of his work investigates rare skeletal disorders as models for understanding normal bone biology. His laboratory studies how genetic changes disrupt the behaviour of bone-forming cells, including how abnormal MET signalling causes osteofibrous dysplasia and impaired fracture repair, and how genes such as KIF22, LFNG and CYP26B1 regulate skeletal development. By studying patient-derived cells alongside cellular and animal models, he aims to identify the molecular pathways that determine whether skeletal progenitor cells proliferate, differentiate into mature osteoblasts, and successfully form bone.

A second major focus is RNA-based regenerative medicine. Dr. Kannu's laboratory is developing self-amplifying and trans-amplifying RNA technologies that can provide sustained expression of proteins from relatively small amounts of RNA. He is investigating the fundamental molecular rules governing RNA amplification, protein expression and innate immune recognition, while applying these principles to transiently reprogram a patient's own cells toward an osteoblast fate.

Guoju Hong, William Xie, Kashif Ahmed, Connor Oborn, Carrie‐lynn Soltys, Peter Kannu

The FASEB Journal. 2024 July; 10.1096/fj.202400075RR

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Parker Wengryn, Felicity Fenrich, Karina da Costa Silveira, Connor Oborn, Shuji Mizumoto, Alexander Beke, Carrie‐Lynn Soltys, Shuhei Yamada, Peter Kannu

The FASEB Journal. 2024 July; 10.1096/fj.202302651RR

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McQuaid ME, Ahmed K, Tran S, Rousseau J, Shaheen R, Kernohan KD, Yuki KE, Grover P, Dreseris ES, Ahmed S, Dupuis L, Stimec J, Shago M, Al-Hassnan ZN, Wurtele H

JCI insight. 2022 May; 10.1172/jci.insight.155648

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Kent OA, Saha M, Coyaud E, Burston HE, Law N, Dadson K, Chen S, Laurent EM, St-Germain J, Sun RX, Matsumoto Y, Cowen J, Montgomery-Song A, Brown KR, Rottapel R

Nature communications. 2020 September; 10.1038/s41467-020-18483-9

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Daniel Westacott, Peter Kannu, Jennifer Stimec, Sevan Hopyan, Andrew Howard

Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. 2019 September; 10.1097/bpo.0000000000001116

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Ghadakzadeh S, Kannu P, Whetstone H, Howard A, Alman BA

FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 2016 June; 10.1096/fj.201500190rr

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Gray MJ, Kannu P, Sharma S, Neyt C, Zhang D, Paria N, Daniel PB, Whetstone H, Sprenger HG, Hammerschmidt P, Weng A, Dupuis L, Jobling R, Robertson SP

American journal of human genetics. 2015 December; 10.1016/j.ajhg.2015.11.001

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Andreucci E, Aftimos S, Alcausin M, Haan E, Hunter W, Kannu P, Kerr B, McGillivray G, McKinlay Gardner RJ, Patricelli MG, Sillence D, Thompson E, Savarirayan R

Orphanet journal of rare diseases. 2011 June; 10.1186/1750-1172-6-37

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Peter Kannu, John Bateman, Ravi Savarirayan

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2011 February; 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2010.01979.x

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Kayi Li, Carter Thorne

Arthritis & Rheumatism. 2011 January; 10.1002/art.30091

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