Department of Physiology - News

Recent papers of the Stochaj lab in the fields of cell biology and nanomaterials

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 20:31:54 +0000

Chu, S., N. Joma, H.W. Yong, D. Maysinger, A. Kakkar, and U. Stochaj. 2023. Curcumin and butyrate induce fibroblast senescence without the emergence of fibrosis biomarkers. Aspects of Molecular Medicine. 2:100021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amolm.2023.100021

John Orlowski- published News and Views article in Nature

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 15:37:39 +0000

John Orlowski published a News & Views article in Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03154-8) entitled “An ion transporter in sperm that has features of a channel” that discusses two structural biology papers just published in Nature describing a unique Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger in sperm that has regulatory features (activation by voltage and cyclic nucleotides) more commonly found in ion channels and is essential for sperm motility and male fertility.

Daniela Quail Awarded Maude Abbott Prize

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 18:21:57 +0000

Our Congratulations to Daniela Quail, recipient of the Maude Abbott prize, which recognizes outstanding women faculty members with academic appointments who excel in teaching, research, or administration in the early stages of their career!

Claire Brown: The Microscopists interviews BioImaging North America (BINA) Executive Board Members

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 16:46:08 +0000

Watch the podcast here: https://youtu.be/Az4eUUpKOVw?si=N4o7B61ym8XtJvvj

New Physiology Graduate Fellowship

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 14:42:06 +0000

Dr. Jack & Fanor Hilton & son foundation fellowship in Physiology
Established in 2023 by The Dr. Jack and Fanor Hilton and Sons Foundation

Awarded annually on the basis of academic merit by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences to one Master’s student entering or enrolled in the Physiology program and pursuing a research project.
Payment and allocation:
$10,000/year over 5 years
Total Funding: $50,000

Siwei Chu, Stephanie Xie, Carla Payan, and Ursula Stochaj published an in-depth review relevant to neurodegeneration

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 16:27:05 +0000

Chu, S., Xie, X., Payan, C., and Stochaj, U. (2023). Valosin containing protein (VCP): initiator, modifier, and potential drug target for neurodegenerative diseases. Mol Neurodegener 18, 52. doi:https://rdcu.be/diGyB

Kais Bietar and Ursula Stochaj, together with the Capobianco lab (Concordia), explored new nanomaterials for the killing of glioblastoma cells

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 07 Aug 2023 16:22:32 +0000

Mandl, G.A., Vettier, F., Tessitore, G., Maurizio, S.L., Bietar, K., Stochaj, U., and Capobianco, J.A. (2023). Combining Pr(3+)-Doped Nanoradiosensitizers and Endogenous Protoporphyrin IX for X-ray-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy of Glioblastoma Cells. ACS Appl Bio Mater 6, 2370-2383. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsabm.3c00201

In memoriam: Professor George Mandl

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 15:09:27 +0000

In Memoriam: Professor George Mandl

Reminiscences: George Mandl

Ph.D Student Patrico Artura's recent paper

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 14:07:21 +0000

Ph.D Student Patrico Artura (Dr. John White lab) recent paper https://journals.aai.org/jimmunol/article/doi/10.4049/jimmunol.2300207/263850

Anatomy & Physiology [at ƽ��岻��] rates seventh best in the world, jumping from 15th in 2022

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 14:46:53 +0000

More info here: https://reporter.mcgill.ca/qs-rankings-by-subject-puts-mcgill-in-global-top-50-in-28-subjects/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wn_mar23_ENGLISH&utm_source=whatsnewstaff&utm_term=ƽ��岻��%E2%80%99s-strengths-highlighted-in-annual-QS-Rankings-by-Su

Competing pacemakers create distinctive triplets in heartbeats

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 16:10:01 +0000

A simple set of mathematical rules that accurately identifies signs of competing electrical signals in the heart has been developed by ƽ��岻��'s Leon Glass, Gil Bub and Alvin Shrier and their UBC colleagues Marc Deyel and Zachary Laksman. The Canadian team did in vitro experiments that showed how abnormal beating triggered by anomalous electrical impulses can generate distinctive triplets. These triplets also appear in cardiac data from real patients and also emerge from simple mathematical models.

Congratulations to Daniela Quail: CSI 2023 New Investigator Award

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 14:54:36 +0000

Daniela F. Quail, PhD, Assistant Professor, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute; and Departments of Physiology and Experimental Medicine at ƽ��岻�� has won the Canadian Society for Immunology 2023 New Investigator award. Read more.

Chacron Lab: Neural heterogeneities and spatially dependent correlations improve coding of object location by sensory neural populations.

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 20:30:30 +0000

Haggard, M., Chacron, M.J. Coding of object location by heterogeneous neural populations with spatially dependent correlations in weakly electric fish. PLoS Comp Biol 19, e1010938 (2023).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010938

BIPOC change champions: In conversation with physiology PhD candidate Amirah-Iman Hicks

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 17:54:50 +0000

Q&A series is part of Black History Month and Beyond, an initiative of the BHM Organizing Committee co-led by Black students and faculty from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences with the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Anti-Racism Committee (EDI-AR) of the School of Population and Global Health.

New discovery by Siwei Chu, Ossama Moujaber, Serge Lemay & Ursula Stochaj: microtubule-dependent mechanisms that drive cellular senescence

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 15:28:11 +0000

Chu, S.; Moujaber, O.; Lemay, S.; Stochaj, U., Multiple pathways promote microtubule stabilization in senescent intestinal epithelial cells. npj Aging 2022, 8 (1), 16.

Masha Prager-Khoutorsky lab published in Nature news & views

ƽ��岻�� — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 17:41:16 +0000

Masha Prager-Khoutorsky lab published a review article in Nature News & Views entitled “Neuronal culprits of sickness behaviours”: h

Sharif Lab one of nine teams chosen as first recipients of ƽ��岻�� Innovation Fund

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 18:45:56 +0000

Full details: https://reporter.mcgill.ca/nine-teams-chosen-as-1st-recipients-of-mcgill-innovation-fund/

In memoriam: Professor Joseph Milic-Emili

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 18:43:14 +0000

https://www.ersnet.org/news-and-features/news/in-memoriam-professor-joseph-milic-emili/

Professor John Orlowski co-authors new research article

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 18:39:34 +0000

/physiology/files/physiology/dong_et_al-2022_structural_basis_of_autoinhibition_of_human_nhe3-chp1_complex.pdf

Dr. John Orlowski magnum opus review article published in Physiological Reviews

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 18:38:09 +0000

Dr. John Orlowski magnum opus review article entitled “Determinants, Maintenance and Function of Organellar pH” written by Spencer Freeman, Sergio Grinstein and John Orlowski has just been published in Physiological Reviews : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35981302

Editorial published by Claire Brown, PhD, Canada Science Policy

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 18:15:58 +0000

Canada needs to democratize access to state-of-the-art technologies and expertise

Full details: https://sciencepolicy.ca/posts/canada-needs-to-democratize-access-to-state-of-the-art-technologies-and-expertise/

Official ceremony of conferring

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 18:14:36 +0000

Honorary doctorate degree of the University of Silesia to Michael C. Mackey will be taking place online on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at 9 a.m.(GMT-4) via the University of Silesia YouTube Channel youtube.com/UniwersytetSlaski.

Dr. Gergely Lukacs, has been elected to the Royal Society of Canada

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 18:13:08 +0000

For full details, visit:

https://reporter.mcgill.ca/fifteen-mcgill-researchers-and-scholars-honoured-by-the-royal-society-of-canada/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wn_Sept07_UNKNOWN&utm_source=whatsnewstaff&utm_term=Libraries-infrastructure-updat

Dr. Claire Brown interviewed on The Microscopists

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 21:00:24 +0000

Dr. Claire Brown, Associate Professor of Physiology and Director of the Advanced BioImaging Facility was recently interviewed by Peter O’Toole at York University as part of a podcast/videocast series call The Microscopists. It is produced by Bite Sized Bio and sponsored by Carl Zeiss Inc. To view the episode, click the link below. Great job, Claire!

https://bit.ly/microscopists42-cb

Sir Arnold Burgen celebrates 100th Birthday

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:46:48 +0000

Congratulations to Sir Arnold Burgen, a former Physiology Professor, on celebrating his 100th birthday on March 20!

Birthday card courtesy of Prof. T.M.S. Chang

Dr. Pouya Bashivan receives the William Dawson Award

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 14:56:35 +0000

Congratulations to Physiology Faculty Member Dr. Pouya Bashivan on receiving the William Dawson Scholar award.

This award recognizes a scholar developing into an outstanding and original researcher of world-class caliber who is poised to become a leader in his or her field. The award is similar to that of a Canada Research Chair Tier 2.

Great work, Pouya!

Dr. Gergely Lukacs awarded the Distinguished James ƽ��岻�� Professorship

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 14:35:13 +0000

Congratulations to Physiology Faculty Member Dr. Gergely Lukacs on receiving the Distinguished James ƽ��岻�� Professor award.

Prager-Khoutorsky Lab publishes paper in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 14:51:40 +0000

Congrats to the Prager-Khoutorsky Lab on their recent paper published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience entitled "Anatomical Organization of the rat subfornical organ.”

The study examines a unique brain area that lacks a complete blood-brain barrier and therefore mediates bi-directional brain-to body communication. The work highlights distinct cellular populations present in this region and demonstrates for the first-time sex differences in neuronal responses to stimuli circulating in the blood.

PhD Candidate Stephanie Mouchbahani-Constance wins three awards at the 2021 CSHRF

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 14:25:43 +0000

Congratulations to physiology PhD candidate Stephanie Mouchbahani-Constance on her outstanding research and poster presentation at this year's Canadian Student Health Research Forum (CSHRF) held virtually from June 14-18, 2021. Stephanie was selected to receive three awards: a Gold Award, a Gairdner Award and the Lindau Award!

Orlowski Lab publishes paper in Nature Communications

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 15:25:36 +0000

Congrats to the Orlowski Lab on their recent paper published in Nature Communications entitled "Structure and mechanism of the human NHE1-CHP1 complex."

Members of the Cerebral Systems Lab publish article in Acoustics Today

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 31 May 2021 20:03:48 +0000

Congratulations to Dr. Steve Lomber and the members of the Cerebral Systems Lab for the recent publication of their article "Ultrasonic Hearing in Cats and Other Terrestrial Animals" in Acoustics Today.

In Memory of Dr. Harry Goldsmith (1928 - 2021)

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 17:47:42 +0000

Harry Leonard Goldsmith May 11, 1928 - March 10, 2021

In Memory of Dr. Kresimir Krnjevic (1927-2021)

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 13:22:03 +0000

Krešimir – Krešo (later in life Kris and KK) Krnjević was born on September 7, 1927 in Zagreb, Croatia in the family of Dr Juraj Krnjević, then Secretary of the Croatian Peasant Party, and Nada Hiršl. The political situation in Yugoslavia very much influenced his early years and the next 20 years of peripatetic lifestyle. The family was forced into exile 1930 and, until establishment of Croatian Banovina in 1939, they lived in Switzerland where Kris completed junior high school in French. Three years in the IV Real High school in Zagreb were KK’s only formal education in Croatia.

Physiology Undergraduate Awards & Information Session held online Apr. 9, 2021

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 19:03:24 +0000

The Department of Physiology held its first online Undergraduate Awards & Information Session on Friday, April 9, 2021.

The students completing PHGY 461 were presented with participation certificates and the following award recipients were announced:

Dr. Ann Wechsler Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Physiology (presented by PULS):
U1/U2 - Dr. Melissa Vollrath
U3 - Dr. David Ragsdale

Major boost to brain research with new $4M grant to help advance the field of neuroscience

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 19:42:27 +0000

Congratulations to Dr. Reza Sharif for being part of the Brain Canada grant led by Dr. Yves de Koninck: The Canadian Optogenetics and Vectorology Foundry. Reza and other team members from across the country form a consortium of research sites that aims to accelerate the development and dissemination of optogenetic and viral tools.

Dr. Anmar Khadra editor of new book

ƽ��岻�� — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 14:36:11 +0000

Congratulations to Dr. Anmar Khadra on his role as editor of the new book Diabetes Systems Biology, published in December 2020 through IOP Publishing.

Dr. Sharif Naeini awarded CFI grant

ƽ��岻�� — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 16:17:16 +0000

Congratulations to Dr. Reza Sharif Naeini, Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology, and his colleagues at ƽ��岻��, Drs. Ed Ruthazer, Stuart Trentholm, Myriam Srour and Rob Koenekoop, for their success as co-PIs on a grant entitled Neurodevelopmental basis of nervous system disorders (NeuroBasis) awarded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. This grant involved 5 additional neuroscientists and clinicians from the Université de Montréal: Drs.

Physiology student receives inaugural Teaching Innovation Award

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 19:06:25 +0000

Congratulations to physiology student Mégane Pépin, one of six learners to receive the inaugural Teaching Innovation Award within the ƽ��岻�� Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

ƽ��岻�� CBD research collaboration helping develop new therapies for treating chronic pain

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 14:54:29 +0000

Important pain research from the Sharif Lab is helping develop cannabidiol (CBD) therapies to treat chronic pain.

Dr. Reza Sharif selected as new Director of the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 15:31:24 +0000

We are pleased to announce that our core faculty member Dr. Reza Sharif has been nominated as the new Director of the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain (AECRP). Dr. Sharif will succeed Dr. Jeffrey Mogil, whose second term will end on April 30, 2021

Dr. Reza Sharif wins Canadian Pain Society Early Career Award

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 16:54:36 +0000

Congratulations to physiology faculty member Dr. Reza Sharif, winner of the 2021 Canadian Pain Society Early Career Award. The Early Career Award recognizes outstanding achievements in pain research and/or management by an individual at the early stage of his or her career. Dr.

Dr. Claire Brown receives CZI grant to advance bioimaging

ƽ��岻�� — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 19:54:36 +0000

Congratulations to physiology faculty member Dr. Claire Brown, one of 22 recipients of the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) imaging scientist grant.

Dr. Masha Prager-Khoutorsky awarded Brain Canada grant

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 19:15:40 +0000

Congratulations to physiology faculty member Dr. Masha Prager-Khoutorsky, one of 20 Canada-wide recipients of the Brain Canada 2019 Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research award. This grant program provides early-career neuroscience researchers the opportunity to develop new lines of research and gather preliminary data to apply for larger grants.

Science from the Sharif Lab leads to creation of pain ointment

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 14:56:29 +0000

Research performed in one of our physiology labs has led to a scientifically-backed product that directly helps humans.

Dr. Leon Glass wins ƽ��岻�� Medal for Exceptional Academic Achievement

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 18:45:57 +0000

Congratulations to physiology faculty member Dr. Leon Glass, one of three winners of the 2020 ƽ��岻�� Medal for Exceptional Academic Achievement in recognition of his outstanding contributions to his discipline, to ƽ��岻��, and to society at large.

Sharif, Orlowski and Ferland labs publish collaborative study in PAIN

ƽ��岻�� — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 19:41:46 +0000

Congratulations to the Sharif, Orlowski and Ferland labs on their recent publication in PAIN, the Journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

Mandl Lab publishes study in Nature Immunology

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 14:18:17 +0000

The Department of Physiology would like to congratulate the Mandl Lab on their recent publication in Nature Immunology entitled "Migration-induced cell shattering due to DOCK8 deficiency causes a type 2–biased helper T cell response." The study, lead by Dr. Judith Mandl, sheds light on cellular processes that may lead to allergic immune responses and identifies a possible link between cell death and allergic disease. Great work!

Image (left): Shattering mononuclear phagocyte lacking Dock8 expression (made by PhD student Connie Shen using confocal microscopy)

PhD student Stephanie Mouchbahani Constance awarded Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship

ƽ��岻�� — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 19:04:01 +0000

The Department of Physiology is proud to announce that one of our PhD students, Stephanie Mouchbahani Constance, has been awarded the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship in recognition of her high standard of scholarly achievement. Stephanie is a second-year PhD student and is a member of Dr. Reza Sharif's lab. Well done, Stephanie!

Synopsis of her research:

Dr. Melissa Vollrath named to Faculty Honour List

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 14:08:22 +0000

Physiology faculty member Dr. Melissa Vollrath was recently named to the 2020-2021 Faculty Honour List for Educational Excellence in recognition of her outstanding contribution to teaching and educational leadership. Dr. Vollrath plays an essential role in the development and delivery of our undergraduate physiology program. To read the Med e-news article, click here. Congratulations, Melissa!

Studying the immune response in bats to better understand COVID-19

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 15:03:15 +0000

Understanding how bats cope with viruses could help us develop COVID-19 therapies, according to this article in Knowable Magazine. One of our faculty members, Dr. Judith Mandl, was interviewed for the article and is currently studying the immune response of bats in her lab.

ƽ��岻�� physiology program ranked 18th place worldwide

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 19:26:09 +0000

The 2020 QS World University Rankings by Subject has placed ƽ��岻��'s anatomy and physiology programs at 18th place globally. Very impressive! To read the news article, click here.

Physiology PhD student to attend Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 04 Mar 2020 19:04:56 +0000

The Department of Physiology is proud to announce that one of our PhD students, Stephanie Mouchbahani Constance, has been chosen to attend the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting this summer in Lindau, Germany. The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings convene annually to promote the exchange of scientific knowledge among Nobel Laureates and young scientists. Stephanie a second-year PhD student and is member of Dr. Reza Sharif's Lab.

Dr. Reza Sharif interviewed on CBC Radio-Canada

ƽ��岻�� — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 14:08:09 +0000

On February 23, 2020, Physiology faculty member Dr. Reza Sharif was interviewed about the identification of a pain sensor on the Radio-Canada program Les années lumière (the French-language version of CBC's Quirks and Quarks). Click here to listen to the interview.

Sharif Lab publishes paper in Cell

ƽ��岻�� — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 21:27:46 +0000

Congratulations to the Sharif Lab for the recent publication of their paper, TACAN Is an Ion Channel Involved in Sensing Mechanical Pain, in the prestigious journal Cell. Their identification of a mechanical pain sensor lays the groundwork for designing new drugs to treat pain. Great job!

Photo (left to right): Marine Christin, co-first author and Reza Sharif-Naeini, senior author.

First Person interview with physiology graduate student

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 16:11:04 +0000

Physiology graduate student Alexander Kiepas was recently interviewed for being the first author on 'Optimizing live-cell fluorescence imaging conditions to minimize phototoxicity', published in the Journal of Cell Science. Alex is co-supervised by Dr. Claire Brown and Dr. Peter Siegel. To read the interview, click here.

Prager-Khoutorsky Lab publishes first paper

ƽ��岻�� — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 19:44:34 +0000

Kudos to the Prager-Khoutorsky lab for publishing their first paper, Effects of Salt Loading on the Organization of Microtubules in Rat Magnocellular Vasopressin Neurons, in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology. Special congratulations to Amirah-Iman Hicks, graduate student, and Zsuzsanna Barad, post-doctoral fellow, the co-first authors of the paper. Well done!

To view the paper, click here.

Member of Parliament David Graham visits the Department of Physiology

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 23 Sep 2019 15:39:57 +0000

On July 17, 2019, Mr David Graham, Member of Parliament for the riding of Laurentides-Labelle, visited the Department of Physiology and had lunch with our graduate students.

Dr. Alvin Shrier receives the 2019 Safety Ambassador Award

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 12:50:40 +0000

On September 13, 2019, Campus Public Safety recognized Dr. Alvin Shrier with the 2019 Safety Ambassador Award for his work as Chair of the University Laboratory Safety Committee. To see the ƽ��岻�� Reporter article, click here.

Dr. Leon Glass receives the 2018 CAIMS Research Prize

ƽ��岻�� — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 13:35:00 +0000

The Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematical Society presented the Research Prize to Dr. Leon Glass for his contributions to research, education and community leadership. Click here for details.

Physiology graduate student wins award at 2019 CSHRF meeting

ƽ��岻�� — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 18:25:22 +0000

Alexander Kiepas, a physiology PhD student, was selected for both a Gold and Gairdner Award for his poster presentation at the 2019 Canadian Student Health Research Forum and Gairdner Symposium.