2025
Elena Kuzmin
Elena Kuzmin becomes the first Concordia researcher to be named to the Global Young Academy
2025
Elena Kuzmin becomes the first Concordia researcher to be named to the Global Young Academy
Some of the most important drivers of disease are not individual genes, but the interactions between them. Dr. Elena Kuzmin’s work uncovers these hidden interactions, showing how networks of genes shape health, disease and biological resilience.
An Assistant Professor at Concordia University, with an affiliated appointment at McGill University, Kuzmin works in systems biology, a field that examines how genes function collectively rather than in isolation. She investigates complex genetic interactions where combined effects cannot be predicted by studying each gene alone.
Her interest in this field began in graduate school, as genome sequencing revealed just how much genetic variation exists within populations. Scientists could catalogue countless genetic changes, yet a deeper question remained. “Knowledge about how such variants interact to generate phenotypic outcomes was lacking,” she explains. Understanding those interactions became the driving force behind her research.
Kuzmin conducted the first systematic study of three-gene interactions in yeast, which showed how genetic networks can buffer change — or amplify it. This insight helps explain why complex diseases are so difficult to predict and treat. Building on this work, she turned to cancer research, showing how major chromosomal losses can shift triple-negative breast cancer into more aggressive states and expose hidden genetic weaknesses.
From evolutionary processes to human disease, Dr. Elena Kuzmin’s work shows how genetic interactions shape biology at every level. By revealing how genes work together, her research has led to more predictive approaches to understanding disease and improving human health. In doing so, she contributes to a growing strength in Canadian research: rigorous, systems-level science that advances both fundamental knowledge and practical insight.
