Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Research News

	Cancer cells break their own DNA to buy time to repair radiation damage April 28, 2022 - A research team from Europe and Canada has discovered that cancer cells break their own DNA in a controlled, reversible way to buy time to repair the massive DNA damage that occurs during radiation treatment. Their research, published in top journal
	Does Parkinson’s start in the nose? International team awarded US$9 million ASAP grant to find out October 26, 2021 - More than 80 percent of people with Parkinson’s disease suffer from a reduced sense of smell, something that often occurs years before the onset of typical movement-related symptoms. Now, thanks to a US$9 million grant from the Aligning Science Acros
	Research unravels links between fasting, lifespan and muscle stem cells June 2, 2021 - Intermittent fasting (or skipping meals) has often been reported to increase lifespan in various animals, but the observation that it also affects muscle stem cell function has been less well-studied.
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	Parkinson’s discovery points to possible future treatment approaches April 6, 2021 - More than 20 years after the discovery of the parkin gene linked to young-onset Parkinson’s disease, researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa may have finally figured out how this mysterious gene protects the brain.
	How does a stem cell know what to be when it grows up? October 22, 2019 - Dr. Marjorie Brand has been hooked on research ever since her training as a biochemistry student in France, where she discovered a new set of proteins that can turn genes on in the cell. This early success motivated the senior scientist at The Ottawa
	Enzyme could help develop better approaches to prevent chronic kidney disease March 1, 2019 - An enzyme called Nox5 may help researchers develop new approaches to prevent chronic kidney disease in people with diabetes or high blood pressure, according to a study published in Antioxidants and Redox Signalling.
	Researchers awarded $1.7 M to tackle stroke and heart attack from multiple angles October 2, 2018 - Five groups from The Ottawa Hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, were successful in the Heart and Stroke Foundation's recent grant competition. Drs. Dar Dowlatshahi, Tim Ramsay and Elizabeth Rochon were awarded $290,000* to test whethe
	Trainee receives Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award September 25, 2018 - Marc-Olivier Deguise, a MD/PhD student in Dr. Rashmi Kothary's lab, will receive the 2018 Jim Glionna Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Award for medical students in a ceremony in Montreal on May 2, 2019. This award recognizes medical students with a tra
	Could leaky blood vessels be a target for treating migraines? Study opens up promising new area of research August 30, 2018 - Migraine headaches are often accompanied by electrical waves that slowly move across the brain, causing flashes of light and other visual disturbances. Referred to as “migraine aura”, this phenomenon also affects the brain’s blood vessels, allowing
	Nerve cell structure plays a major role in kidney function July 24, 2018 - Dr. Chris Kennedy’s team has found that the nervous system controls how quickly the kidneys filter blood, and one protein is essential to this process. In the first study of its kind, the team found that a lack of the protein ubiquitin C-terminal hyd
	Estrogen and ovarian cancer: study provides first molecular link July 11, 2018 - Estrogen therapy can relieve symptoms of menopause in some women, but it also slightly increases the risk of ovarian cancer. New research from Dr. Barbara Vanderhyden's team provides the first possible molecular explanation for this link. Using cells

Researchers

Name	Scientific appointment	Diseases, conditions and populations of interest	Research and clinical approaches
Addison, Christina PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Bone and joint degeneration, Cancer, Lung cancer, Lung disease, Pancreatic cancer, Prostate cancer, Breast cancer	Basic research, Clinical research, Cohort studies, Disease models, Drug development, Genetics, Imaging, Model organisms, Translational research, Molecular and cellular biology
Albert, Paul PhD	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Mental health, Vascular cognitive impairment, Anxiety, Depression, Intellectual disabilities, Parkinson's, Schizophrenia, Stroke, Suicide	Basic research, Epigenetics, Exercise, Gene expression, Translational research, Disease models, Epigenetics, Genetics, Imaging, Molecular and cellular biology, Optogenetics, Transgenic/knockout models
Ardolino, Michele PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Blood cancer, Brain cancer, Breast cancer, Cancer, Colorectal cancer, Head and neck cancer, Liver cancer, Lung cancer, Ovarian cancer, Pancreatic cancer, Prostate cancer, Skin cancer, Soft tissue sarcoma	Basic research, Cancer immunotherapy, Cell therapy, Clinical research, Disease models, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Auer, Rebecca MD, MSc, FRCSC	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Cancer, Colorectal cancer, Ovarian cancer, Pancreatic cancer	Basic research, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Cell therapy, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Peri-operative medicine, Quality Improvement, Surgery, Translational research, Viral therapy
Baltz, Jay PhD	Senior Scientist Emeritus (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	Infertility	Molecular and cellular biology
Berardi, Philip MD, PhD, FRCPC	Clinician Investigator (Cancer Research)	Aging, Anemia, Bleeding disorders, Blood cancer, Cancer, COVID-19, Health equity, Health in older peoples, Sickle cell anemia, Thalassemia, Thrombosis / thromboembolism	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cell therapy, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genetics, Genomics, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Stem cells, Translational research
Brand, Marjorie PhD	Senior Scientist Affiliate (Regenerative Medicine)	Blood cancer, Sickle cell anemia, Thalassemia, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Bioinformatics, Disease models, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Imaging, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Stem cells, Systems biology, Transgenic/knockout models
Burger, Dylan PhD	Senior Scientist (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	Aging, Diabetes, Heart disease, Hypertension, Kidney disease, Maternal and fetal health, Obesity, Thrombosis / thromboembolism, Type 1 diabetes, Vascular cognitive impairment, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Basic research, Biomarkers, Disease models, Exercise, Extracellular vesicles / exosomes, Imaging, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Pharmacology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Burns, Kevin MD CM, FRCPC	Senior Scientist (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	Diabetes, Kidney disease, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Basic research, Biomarkers, Cell therapy, Clinical research, Disease models, Extracellular vesicles / exosomes, Gene expression, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Chen, Hsiao-Huei PhD	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Aging, Autism, Dementia, Depression, Heart disease, Maternal and fetal health, Mental health, Tourette's, Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's, Anxiety, Diabetes, Obesity, Schizophrenia, Stroke, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Disease models, Drug development, Gene expression, Neuro-stimulation, Optogenetics, Transgenic/knockout models, Basic research, Molecular and cellular biology, Translational research
Colavita, Antonio PhD	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Spinal cord injury	Genetics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology
Cook, David PhD	Scientist (Cancer Research)	Cancer, Ovarian cancer	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Big data, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Cell therapy, Drug development, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Imaging, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, RNA sequencing, Systems biology, Translational research
Coutu, Daniel PhD	Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Aging, Arthritis, Autoimmune disease, Bleeding disorders, Blood cancer, Bone and joint degeneration, Bone and joint injuries, Musculoskeletal conditions, Osteoporosis	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Biomaterials, Cell therapy, Gene expression, Gene therapy, Genetics, Genomics, Imaging, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Surgery, Systems biology, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Crawley, Angela Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	Cancer, COVID-19, Hepatitis C, HIV, Infectious disease, Liver cancer, Liver disease	Basic research, Cancer immunotherapy, Clinical research, Disease models, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, RNA sequencing, Translational research
Diallo, Jean-Simon PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Cancer, COVID-19, Infectious disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Drug development, Gene therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy
Dilworth, Jeffrey PhD	Senior Scientist Affiliate (Regenerative Medicine)	Aging, Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease	Basic research, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells
Fadda, Giulia MD	Associate Scientist (Neuroscience)	Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system, Multiple sclerosis	Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Biostatistics, Clinical research, Imaging, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Patient engagement, Translational research
Gage, Blair PhD	Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Bleeding disorders, Diabetes, Liver cancer, Liver disease, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Cell therapy, Disease models, Gene expression, Gene therapy, Genetics, Genomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Translational research, Transplantation
Gray, Douglas PhD	Senior Scientist Emeritus (Cancer Research)	Aging, Cancer, Lung cancer, Parkinson's	Basic research, Disease models, Genomics, Imaging, Transgenic/knockout models, Genetics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology
Habibi, Ehsan Ph.D.	Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)		Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Big data, Bioinformatics, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genetics, Imaging, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Next generation sequencing, Optogenetics, Proteomics, Qualitative methods, RNA sequencing, Systems biology, Transgenic/knockout models
Ilkow, Carolina PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Breast cancer, COVID-19, Ovarian cancer, Pancreatic cancer	Basic research, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Extracellular vesicles / exosomes, Gene therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy
Ito, Caryn PhD	Senior Investigator (Regenerative Medicine)	Blood cancer, Cancer	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Drug development, Epigenetics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Systems biology, Translational research
Kennedy, Christopher PhD	Senior Scientist (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	Diabetes, Hypertension, Kidney disease	Molecular and cellular biology
Kothary, Rashmi Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Neuromuscular disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular dystrophy, Spinal muscular atrophy	Basic research, Disease models, Drug development, Epigenetics, Epigenetics, Gene therapy, Genetics, Imaging, Lipidomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Lacoste, Baptiste PhD	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Stroke, Vascular cognitive impairment, Autism	Basic research, Disease models, Gene expression, Genomics, Stem cells, Genetics, Imaging, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Transgenic/knockout models
Lorimer, Ian PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Brain and neuromuscular disease, Brain cancer, Cancer	Basic research, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cell therapy, Disease models, Molecular and cellular biology, Translational research
Mattar, Pierre PhD	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Autism, Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system, Glaucoma, Intellectual disabilities, Macular degeneration, Retinal disease, Vision	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Cell therapy, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genetics, Genomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Systems biology, Transgenic/knockout models
McBurney, Michael PhD	Program Director and Senior Scientist Emeritus (Cancer Research)	Aging, Diabetes, Cancer	Molecular and cellular biology, Transgenic/knockout models, Basic research
Mei, Shirley PhD, MSc	Investigator (Regenerative Medicine)	COVID-19, Infectious disease, Influenza, Lung disease, Septic shock	Basic research, Biomarkers, Cell therapy, Critical care, Disease models, Drug development, Epigenetics, Gene therapy, Knowledge translation and implementation research, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Translational research
Ngsee, John Ph.D.	Affiliate Investigator (Neuroscience)	Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Dementia, Parkinson's	Cell therapy, Drug development, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology
Parks, Robin Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Brain and neuromuscular disease, Cancer, Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease	Gene therapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Viral therapy
Picketts, David Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Autism, Brain and neuromuscular disease, Intellectual disabilities, Multiple sclerosis, Stroke, Vision	Basic research, Disease models, Epigenetics, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Quizi, Jennifer PhD	Investigator (Cancer Research)	Cancer, Infectious disease	Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Cell therapy, Drug development, Gene therapy, Immunization, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Translational research, Viral therapy
Rudnicki, Michael OC, PhD, FRS, FRSC	Program Director and Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Disease models, Epigenetics, Genetics, Genomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Sabourin, Luc PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Breast cancer, Muscular dystrophy, Skin cancer	Basic research, Disease models, Drug development, Gene expression, Genetics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Schlossmacher, Michael MD, DABPN, FRCPC	Program Director and Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Aging, Brain and neuromuscular disease, Crohn's, Dementia, Inflammatory bowel syndrome, Dementia, Parkinson's	Basic research, Biomarkers, Cohort studies, Disease models, Drug development, Genetics, Lipidomics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Risk assessment, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Scott, Fraser PhD	Senior Scientist Emeritus (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	Autoimmune disease, Gastrointestinal disease	Basic research, Biomarkers, Disease models, Molecular and cellular biology, Translational research
Sorisky, Alexander MD, CM, FRCPC	Program Director and Senior Scientist Emeritus (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	Obesity, Diabetes, Heart disease	Basic research, Molecular and cellular biology
Stanford, William PhD	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Aging, Blood cancer, Cancer, COVID-19, Lung cancer, Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Systems biology
Stewart, Duncan MD, FRCPC	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	COVID-19, Heart disease, Pulmonary hypertension, Septic shock, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Extracellular vesicles / exosomes, Stem cells, Cell therapy, Clinical trials, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Translational research
Tanphaichitr, Nongnuj PhD	Senior Scientist Emeritus (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	HIV, Infectious disease, Infertility, Men's health, Sexually transmitted infections, Women's health	Basic research, Drug development, Imaging, Lipidomics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics
Thébaud, Bernard MD, PhD	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Lung disease, Newborn and child health	Cell therapy, Extracellular vesicles / exosomes, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Translational research
Tiberi, Mario PhD	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Parkinson's, Schizophrenia, Stroke	Basic research, Drug development, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Translational research
Trudel, Guy MD	Senior Scientist (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	Anemia, Bone and joint degeneration, Musculoskeletal conditions	Basic research, Biomarkers, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Rehabilitation
Tsai, Eve MD, PhD, FRCSC, CIP	Scientist (Neuroscience)	Brain and neuromuscular disease, Cancer, Spinal cord injury	Biomaterials, Clinical research, Clinical trials, Imaging, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Translational research
Tsilfidis, Catherine PhD	Senior Scientist (Neuroscience)	Vision, Retinal disease, Glaucoma	Molecular and cellular biology, Disease models
Vanderhyden, Barbara PhD	Senior Scientist (Cancer Research)	Cancer, Infertility, Ovarian cancer, Women's health	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Cancer biotherapeutics, Disease models, Drug development, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Immunotherapy, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research, Viral therapy
Wang, Jing Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Regenerative Medicine)	Alzheimer's, Multiple sclerosis, Stroke	Cell therapy, Disease models, Epigenetics, Imaging, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Zha, Xiaohui Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (Inflammation and Chronic Disease)	Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Molecular and cellular biology
Litvinov, Ivan M.D, Ph.D., FRCPC	Affiliate Investigator (Cancer Research)	Skin cancer	Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Stem cells, Translational research, Viral therapy