Dr. Ming-Sound Tsao (曹民聲) (Cancer Research/Precision Oncology)
Dr. Ming-Sound Tsao, Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology and Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto, is recognized for his outstanding, innovative, and pioneering contributions to lung cancer pathology, translational research, and precision oncology. Dr. Tsao is an internationally renowned leader in his field, with over 135,000 citations and an H-index of 160, and has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Dr. Tsao’s research focuses on the molecular characterization of lung cancer, the development of predictive biomarkers to guide targeted therapies, and the creation of novel patient-derived cancer models. His most celebrated contribution was leading the translational biomarker study of the landmark Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Group BR.21 trial, which demonstrated that EGFR gene mutations and copy number gains were associated with improved survival in patients treated with erlotinib for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, these findings directly contributed to the approval of erlotinib as the first targeted therapy for advanced NSCLC and provided some of the earliest evidence that biomarkers could be used to select patients for targeted cancer treatment—setting a precedent for precision cancer medicine worldwide. Dr. Tsao further advanced the field by showing that patients whose tumours harbour KRAS mutations are unlikely to benefit from anti-EGFR therapy, helping clinicians avoid ineffective treatments.
Dr. Tsao pioneered cancer tissue biobanking in Canada, establishing the first trial-associated tumour bank during the NCIC CTG JBR.10 trial in 1993—an innovative multi-institutional effort that has since influenced biobanking standards globally. As Reference Pathologist and Director of the JBR.10 tumour bank, he led pivotal studies uncovering molecular prognostic and predictive markers in early-stage NSCLC, including a 15-gene expression signature with both prognostic and predictive value. This work was expanded through the international LACE-Bio consortium, whose publications are regarded as defining the state of science in early-stage NSCLC biomarker research.
Dr. Tsao has also shaped global standards in lung cancer classification, staging, and biomarker testing. He served as Chair of the IASLC Pathology Committee and contributed to the WHO Classification of Tumours as a Standing Editorial Board member. He co-edited the IASLC Atlases on PD-L1, ALK, and ROS1 biomarker testing, which serve as definitive global references for pathologists. In Canada, he is widely regarded as the leading authority on clinical implementation of lung cancer biomarker testing, having led nationwide studies standardizing testing methodologies for EGFR, ALK, ROS1, and PD-L1 biomarkers.
Dr. Tsao’s laboratory is an international leader in developing patient-derived lung cancer models, including xenografts and organoids, that advance personalized diagnostics and therapeutics. He also created an immortalized normal human pancreatic duct epithelial cell line that has become the reference “normal” cell line in pancreatic cancer research worldwide, with over 390 citations. His leadership in establishing the Princess Margaret Living Biobank and the Applied Molecular Profiling Laboratory (AMPL) has created transformative resources for translational cancer research. His innovations have positioned Canada as a global leader in precision oncology.
Dr. Tsao received his B.Sc. (Hons.) in Biochemistry from Simon Fraser University, his M.D. from the University of British Columbia, and completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at McGill University and a research fellowship at the University of North Carolina. He began his independent academic career at McGill University before joining the University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in 1996.
Education
- B.Sc. (Hons.), Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, 1973
- M.D., University of British Columbia, 1976
- Residency, Anatomic Pathology, McGill University, 1978–1982
- Research Fellow, Experimental Pathology, University of North Carolina, 1982–1984
- F.R.C.P.C., Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, 1992
Scholarship
- Publication of nearly 750 peer-reviewed papers with over 135,000 citations and an H-index of 160
- Named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher for five consecutive years (2018–2022)
- Co-Editor of multiple IASLC Atlases on biomarker testing in lung cancer, including PD-L1, ALK, and ROS1
- Standing Editorial Board member for the WHO Classification of Tumours (5th and 6th editions)
- Supervised over 160 undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows
- Chair, CCTG Correlative Science and Tumour Biology Committee (2006–2022)
- Director, CIHR Training Program in Molecular Pathology of Cancer (2002–2016)
- Member, IASLC Board of Directors (2021–2025)
Honours and Awards (selected)
- 2026 Blue Flame Award, Addgene
- 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, Canadian Lung Cancer Conference
- 2025 Till & McCulloch Paper of the Year Award (Translational), Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
- 2025 Allan Slaight Collaborator of the Year, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
- 2022 Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (5th consecutive year)
- 2022 Richard G. Hegele Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation, Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto
- 2021 Fellow, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
- 2020 Fellow, Royal Society of Canada
- 2017 CCTG Dr. Joseph Pater Founder’s Award for Excellence in Clinical Trials Research
- 2015 IASLC Mary Matthews Pathology Award