Isabelle Plante, PhD

13 Aug 2024

Contact information

Research interests

  • Mammary gland biology and development
  • Toxicology
  • Development of alternative models

Normal breast development requires close interaction not only between stroma and epithelium, but also between the different cell types making up the mammary epithelium. We have demonstrated that intercellular junctions, which are strongly involved in these interactions, form a dynamic nexus whose composition varies according to the different developmental stages of the mammary gland, suggesting not only different functional needs, but also precise regulation, probably linked to hormonal changes. Furthermore, deregulation of intercellular junctions is associated with developmental and functional abnormalities, and with breast cancer.

In recent years, a growing number of studies have demonstrated that exposure to endocrine disruptors (EDs) results in developmental abnormalities and pathologies. EDs are exogenous substances that alter the functions of the endocrine system, inducing harmful effects on the health of an organism or its descendants. Thus, organs whose development and function are strongly influenced by hormones, including the mammary gland, are particularly affected by EDs. Our previous studies have demonstrated that several EDs affect the regulation of cellular interactions. Based on these data, my research program has two main components:

1) Fundamental component on cellular interactions in the development and biology of mammary glands, aimed at identifying the regulatory mechanisms and the role of communication in mammary glands and the events leading to their deregulation during pathologies;

2) Toxicological component on the effects of EDs on mammary gland development and breast cancer, aimed at determining the effects of exposure to EDs on mammary gland development and breast cancer, and identifying the toxicity mechanisms involved.

Members of the laboratory

Marie-Caroline Daguste
MSc student
marie-caroline.daguste@inrs.ca

Alec McDermott, MSc
PhD student
alec.mcdermott@inrs.ca

David Tovar
PhD student
David.Tovar@inrs.ca

Jysiane Cardot, MSc
PhD student
jysiane.cardot@inrs.ca

Madeleine Lépine, MSc
PhD student
madeleine.lepine@inrs.ca

Melany Juarez, MSc
PhD student
melany.juarez@iaf.inrs.ca

Publications

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Daniel Cyr, PhD

26 Jul 2024

Contact information

Research interests

  • Epididymis
  • Stem cells
  • Environmental toxicology

Spermatozoa are formed by spermatogenesis in seminiferous tubules of the testis.  In mammals, testicular spermatozoa cannot swim or fertilize an ovum. These abilities are acquired in the epididymis during sperm maturation. The luminal environment of the epididymis necessary for sperm maturation is created in part by modulation of pH, secretion of sperm-binding proteins by the epididymis, and the presence of the blood-epididymis barrier, which regulates the transport of selected molecules across the epithelium and their release in the lumen. The development and differentiation of the epididymal epithelium is critical for male fertility.

Our research program aims to understand cellular differentiation of the epididymis, a process which remains poorly understood.  Our laboratory has developed unique tools to study the cellular and molecular regulation of cell differentiation in the epididymis.  These include unique cell lines and organoid models using epididymal basal stem cells to assess the role of cell-cell interaction in the epididymis and how environmental contaminants, such as nanoplastics can alter these interactions leading to male infertility.

Members of the laboratory

Sara Yim
BSc student
sara.yim@inrs.ca

Unnikrishnan Kannan
MSc student
unnikrishnan.kannan@inrs.ca

Chen Zhu
MSc student
chen.zhu@inrs.ca

Paloma Medeiros
PhD Student
paloma.medeiros@inrs.ca

Julie Dufresne, MSc
Research assistant
julie.dufresne@inrs.ca

Mary Gregory, MSc
Research assistant
mary.gregory@inrs.ca

Publications

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Xianming Zhang, PhD

19 Jul 2024

Contact information

Research interests

  • Organics contaminants
  • Environmental and analytical chemistry
  • Environmental and molecular modeling

– Environmental sources, processes and impact of organic contaminants

– Long-range transport and long-term impact of Persistent Organic Pollutants

– Passive sampling techniques for monitoring trace organics in the environment

– Gas chromatography, liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry for organic analysis

– Model development and applications to simulate environmental processes, exposures and impact of organic contaminants

– Human exposures to organic contaminants in daily life

 

Members of the laboratory

Asma Syeda
Undergraduated student
syeda.asma1427@gmail.com

Samira Norouzi
MSc Student
samira.norouzi@concordia.ca

Faraz ILiaee
MSc Student
faraziliaee@gmail.com

Cassandra Johannessen
PhD Student
cassandra.johannessen@mail.concordia.ca

Publications

See Scopus

Laurence Charton, MSc, PhD

18 Jul 2024

Contact information

Research interests

  • Human reproduction
  • Human infertility
  • Biosocial factors

Through the study of the transition to parenthood and the place of the child in contemporary societies, my research aims to identify the strategies by which human groups manage to ensure the continuity, renewal and reproduction of social structures, and have been able to adapt to change. My research focuses on social and family imaginaries, the temporality and modalities of entry into parenthood, motivations for renouncing or refusing a child, and naming and prenaming practices. They are based on an intersectional approach and multidisciplinary methods, notably in sociology and demography.

 

Members of the laboratory

Publications

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Véronique Ouellet

Véronique Ouellet, PhD

22 Apr 2021

Contact information

Research interests

  • Physiology
  • Adaptation
  • Resilience

Professor Véronique Ouellet’s current research focuses on the interactions between the animal and its thermal environment, both pre- and post-natal. Her areas of expertise include lactation and stress physiology, dairy cattle nutrition and adaptation to climate change. Her work has helped demystify the effects of heat stress in continental climates, better understand the impact of heat stress on the mammary gland and placenta during dry-off and on the growing fetus, and establish heat tolerance thresholds in dry cows and calves.
In addition, his laboratory is now tackling issues related to water quality on dairy farms and its implications for animal health and dairy herd performance.
Through her applied and fundamental research, collaborations, involvement in the farming community and numerous knowledge transfer activities, Véronique Ouellet aims to optimize the resilience of farm animals to climate change through a systemic, applied and collaborative approach.

 

Members of the laboratory

Alexandra Boucher, MSc
PhD student
alexandra.boucher.4@ulaval.ca

Bouthayna Khliff, MSc
Research assistant
bouthayna.khlif.1@ulaval.ca

Marie-Michel Déry
Research assistant
marie-michel.dery.1@ulaval.ca

Marie-Michèle Cyr
Research assistant
marie-michele.cyr.1@ulaval.ca

Publications

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Maritza Jaramillo, PhD

28 Oct 2019

Contact information

Research interests

  • Congenital toxoplasmosis
  • mRNA translation
  • Trophoblast and macrophage biology

The main interest of the laboratory is to study the molecular basis of translation control (i.e. the regulation of the efficiency of mRNA translation) during the exposure of placental cells to factors of environmental stresses such as inflammatory mediators and infectious agents. Indeed, translational control has been shown to provide immune cells with a rapid response to external triggers or signals without de novo mRNA synthesis. However, how specific changes in mRNA translation influence normal and impaired placental functions remains largely unexplored. To address this, we study the impact of dysregulation of RNA translation efficiency on the placenta during congenital toxoplasmosis, a vertically transmitted infection that leads to severe birth defects or abortion.

We advance the hypothesis that aberrant mRNA translation in infected placental cell populations contributes to modification of gene expression programs required for normal embryo nesting, placental development and function. To test our hypothesis, we combine various “OMICS” approaches in human villous and extravillous trophoblasts. In parallel, we perform in silico analyzes and mechanistic studies in engineered trophoblast cell lines to define the signaling pathways and trans-acting factors leading to translational repression or activation of specific transcripts. Overall, these studies will provide a better understanding of the role of translational control in normal and pathological placental function.

Members of the laboratory

Leonardo Cortazzo da Silva
MSc student
Leonardo.Cortazzo@inrs.ca

Camila Almeida Cardoso
MSc student
camila.cardoso@inrs.ca

Laura Marcela Garcis Prada, MSc
PhD student
laura.garcia@inrs.ca

Carolina Maria Vargas Leon, MSc
PhD student
carolina.vargas@inrs.ca

Aurore Lebourg, MSc
PhD student
aurore.lebourg@inrs.ca

Visnu Chaparro, PhD
Postdoc fellow
visnu.chaparro@inrs.ca

Louis-Philippe Leroux, PhD
Research Associate
louis-philippe.leroux@inrs.ca

Publications

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Aimee Ryan, PhD

7 Sep 2018

Contact information

Research interests

  • epithelial barriers and morphogenesis
  • claudin family of tight junction proteins
  • neural tube closure

Mutations in several genes and a variety of environmental factors are known to cause birth defects. Prevention of these defects depends on identifying the molecules involved in embryonic development and understanding what they do. My lab studies the claudin family of tight junction proteins during embryogenesis.  Claudins are well-known for their roles in regulating paracellular movement of ions and small molecules between cells of epithelial and endothelial layers.  However, we have shown that they also play important roles in regulating cell movements and cell shape changes during embryonic development.  These functions are dependent on claudin’s intracellular interactions with apical complexes at the lateral membrane. We are particularly interested in how claudins coordinate tissue morphogenesis during neural tube closure and establishing the left and right sides of the embryo.  In human embryos these events happen in the first three to four weeks after fertilization.

We are also involved in collaborative projects investigating the role of claudins in differentiated organs, including the Sertoli cell tight junction barrier in the testes and the epithelial barrier in kidney nephrons.

Members of the laboratory

Enrique Gamero-Estevez, MSc
PhD student
enrique.gameroestevez@mail.mcgill.ca

Amanda Vaccarella, BSc
MSc student
amanda.vaccarella@mail.mcgill.ca

Liz legere, BSc 
MSc student
elizabeth-ann.legere@mail.mcgill.ca

Jenna Haverfield, PhD
Postdoc
jenna.haverfield@mail.mcgill.ca

Publications

Voir Scopus

Sarah Kimmins, PhD

4 Jun 2018

Contact information

Research interests

  • Infertility in men
  • Epigenomics
  • Environmental effects on the epigenome & offspring development and health

Dr. Sarah Kimmins received her Ph.D. from Dalhousie University in 2003 and completed her post-doctoral training at the Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire in Strasbourg, France.  She was appointed to the Department of Animal Science in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in September of 2005 and is a tenured Associate Professor. She is an associate member of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine at McGill.

Globally the prevalence of diabetes, obesity and other chronic diseases such as cancer, and cardiovascular disease are on the rise. These increases have occurred at rates that cannot be due to changes in the genetic structure of the population and are likely caused by environmental factors that modify gene function via epigenetics. Kimmins leads a research program focused on determining how the environment (nutrients and toxicants) impacts the health of parents and offspring. Her research involves long-term multi-generational studies to identify the mechanisms implicated in epigenetic inheritance. In 2013, her research group linked a father’s diet to development of the embryo. This research highlights the possibility that the father’s pre-conception health may be equally as important as the mother in terms of having healthy babies. This ongoing line of research has the potential to impact child health worldwide in terms of prevention of birth defects and chronic disease. This line of research is being translated into human studies with long-term studies to follow parents and their offspring in relation to environmental components.

Members of the laboratory

Anne-Sophie Pépin, BSc
Master student
anne-sophie.pepin@mail.mcgill.ca

Ariane Lismer, BSc
Master student
ariane.lismer@mail.mcgill.ca

William Sluman
PhD candidate
william.sluman@umontreal.ca

Olusola F. Sotunde, PhD
Postdoc
olusola.sotunde@mcgill.ca

Marie-Charlotte Dumargne, PhD
Postdoc
marie-charlotte.dumargne@mcgill.ca

Christine Lafleur, MSc
Lab manager
christine.lafleur@mcgill.ca

Romain Lambrot, PhD
Research associate
romain.lambrot@mcgill.ca

Vanessa Dumeaux, PhD
Bioinformatics consultant
vanessa.dumeaux@mcgill.ca

Publications

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Geraldine-Delbes

Géraldine Delbès, PhD

13 Dec 2017

Contact information

Research interests

  • Reproductive toxicology
  • Genomics
  • Testicle

Professor Géraldine Delbès’ research projects aim to determine how exposure to medical or environmental substances, during particularly sensitive periods of life, can alter male fertility and epigenetic inheritance. Evidence is accumulating that exposure to environmental chemicals or medical treatments can adversely affect male reproductive function and intergenerational inheritance. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in these effects are still poorly documented and understood. Professor Delbès and her team are seeking to characterize these mechanisms in immature germ cells, the precursors of spermatogenesis. Using in vivo and in vitro models in rodents and humans, we are studying testicular cells in response to the chemical environment.

Members of the laboratory

Victoria Lim, BSc
MSc student
victoria.lim@inrs.ca

Fatma Ben hadj hassine
MSc student
fatma.ben-hadj-hassine@inrs.ca

Ghida Baalbaki, MSc
PhD student
ghida.baalbaki@inrs.ca

Antoine Gillet, MSc
PhD student
antoine.gillet@inrs.ca

Rhizlane Elomri, MSc
PhD student
rhizlane.elomri@inrs.ca

Elisa Hug, PhD
Postdoc
elisa.hug@inrs.ca

Charlotte Jacquinet
Intern
charlotte.jacquinet@inrs.ca

Publications

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Cathy Vaillancourt, PhD

5 Dec 2017

Address

Research interests

  • Melatonin and serotonin in placental function and fetal development
  • Stress, anxiety and depression (SAD) maternal and the mother-placenta-fetal axis
  • Maternal exposure to pathogen, virus and toxins and placental function

My laboratory is interested to elucidate the effect of environmental factors (contaminant, stress, depression, pathogens and pharmaceutical drugs) and obstetric complications (preeclampsia, preterm birth and gestational diabetes) as well as the role/impact of fetal sex on placental endocrine function and fetal development. We are especially interested in understanding the role and mechanisms of action of serotonin and melatonin in placental function and fetal development. Our team have demonstrated that serotonin and melatonin are produce de novo by the placenta and plays a crucial role in fetal heart and brain development. The placenta is a multifunctional organ essential to mammalian development. A poorly functioning placenta can lead to miscarriage, fetal growth restriction, or premature birth, as well as lifelong effects on health.

Our research program focused on the effect of maternal prenatal stress, depression, pharmaceutical drugs and chemical toxins on placental function as a new approach to determine the potential teratogenicity and toxicity. Our research hypothesis is that exposure to environmental factors during pregnancy induce alterations/adaptations of placenta serotonin, melatonin and glucocorticoid system as well as endocrine function and by consequence on fetal development in a sex-specific manner. The mother-placental-fetal relationships present an original approach to examine the effects of environmental factors, pharmaceutical drugs and maternal stress/depression which may have long-term consequences on the development and programming of the fetus. Our ongoing studies are also focused to develop new model (co-culture model and placenta-on-chips) to study the impact on environmental factor and pathogens on the mother-placenta-fetal axis. The aim is that this new technology will both accelerate discovery and permit more elaborate experimental designs than previously possible, to the benefit of our research program and those of our collaborators. Our long-term goal is to improve the health of pregnant mother and their offspring.

Members of the laboratory

Christian Sanchez, BSc
MSc student
Christian.Sanchez@inrs.ca

Natan Keremov, BSc
MSc student
Natan.Keremov@inrs.ca

Ghida Baalbaki, MSc
PhD student
ghida.baalbaki97@hotmail.com

Josianne Bienvenue-Pariseault, MSc
PhD student
Josianne.Bienvenue@inrs.ca

Linda OK, MSc
PhD student
linda.ok@inrs.ca

Hélène Pinatel  Baalbaki, MSc
PhD student
Helene.Pinatel@inrs.ca

Publications

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