Rashmi Kothary
Senior Scientist, Regenerative Medicine Program
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Deputy Scientific Director
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Professor, Medicine
University of Ottawa
Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
University of Ottawa
Research Interests
Our laboratory is interested in understanding the mechanisms which
maintain/alter muscle and nervous system integrity. In parallel, we are
assessing ways to alleviate the pathology of neuromuscular diseases.
Brief Biography
Dr.
Kothary is the Deputy Scientific Director and Senior Scientist at the Ottawa
Hospital Research Institute (OHRI). He received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from
the University of British Columbia and pursued postdoctoral research in the
laboratories of Dr. Janet Rossant at the Mount Sinai Hospital Research
Institute in Toronto and Dr. Azim Surani in Cambridge, U.K. It was during these
formative years that Dr. Kothary developed his interests in pre-clinical models
to study disease pathology. He has held the University Health Research Chair in
Neuromuscular Disorders and is a Professor at the University of Ottawa. His current research focuses on investigating
factors important for oligodendrocyte mediated myelination and remyelination of
the CNS (in the context of Multiple Sclerosis) and understanding Spinal
Muscular Atrophy pathogenesis to identify novel therapeutics for this
devastating children’s disease. He currently sits on the SMA Beyond advisory
board, has served on the scientific advisory board for CIHR IMHA, MDA and Cure
SMA, and is a reviewer for the CIHR, NIH and Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Selected Publications
Base editing as a genetic treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. Alves CRR, Ha LL, Yaworski R, Lazzarotto CR, Christie KA, Reilly A, Beauvais A, Doll RM, de la Cruz D, Maguire CA, Swoboda KJ, Tsai SQ, Kothary R, Kleinstiver BP. bioRxiv. 2023 Jan 21:2023.01.20.524978. doi: 10.1101/2023.01.20.524978. Preprint. PMID: 36711797 Free PMC article.
Central and peripheral delivered AAV9-SMN are both efficient but target different pathomechanisms in a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy. Reilly A, Deguise MO, Beauvais A, Yaworski R, Thebault S, Tessier DR, Tabard-Cossa V, Hensel N, Schneider BL, Kothary R. Gene Ther. 2022 Sep;29(9):544-554. doi: 10.1038/s41434-022-00338-1. Epub 2022 Apr 25. PMID: 35462564
SMN Depleted Mice Offer a Robust and Rapid Onset Model of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Deguise MO, Pileggi C, De Repentigny Y, Beauvais A, Tierney A, Chehade L, Michaud J, Llavero-Hurtado M, Lamont D, Atrih A, Wishart TM, Gillingwater TH, Schneider BL, Harper ME, Parson SH, Kothary R. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;12(1):354-377.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2021.01.019. Epub 2021 Feb 2. PMID: 33545428 Free PMC article.
MiRNA-145-5p prevents differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells by regulating expression of myelin gene regulatory factor. Kornfeld SF, Cummings SE, Fathi S, Bonin SR, Kothary R. J Cell Physiol. 2021 Feb;236(2):997-1012. doi: 10.1002/jcp.29910. Epub 2020 Jun 30. PMID: 32602617
Inhibitory milieu at the multiple sclerosis lesion site and the challenges for remyelination. Galloway DA, Gowing E, Setayeshgar S, Kothary R. Glia. 2020 May;68(5):859-877. doi: 10.1002/glia.23711. Epub 2019 Aug 23. PMID: 31441132 Review.
Diseases, conditions and populations of interest
Research and clinical approaches
