RESEARCH & DISCOVERIES
Using molecular and cell biology techniques and innovative mouse models, our current research focuses on developping novel treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Cancer Cachexia. Keep reading to find out what we are currently investigating.
Cancer Cachexia & Muscle Wasting
How does cancer disrupt tissue health and regeneration?
Chronic diseases fundamentally alter the biological systems responsible for tissue maintenance and repair. We investigate how inflammation, cancer, and systemic stress influence stem cell behaviour, regenerative capacity, and tissue health. We combine stem cell biology, genomics, and disease models to uncover how cancer reshapes regenerative tissues and drives muscle wasting.
Keywords: cancer cachexia, inflammation, muscle wasting, regenerative dysfunction, chronic disease
Key publications:
Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Reveals Cachectic Satellite Cell Population in Muscle of Male Mice With Cancer Cachexia (2026): A defining study identifying a novel cachexia-associated muscle stem cell population and revealing how cellular states evolve during cachexia progression.
AlSudais H, Rajgara R, Saleh A, Wiper-Bergeron N. C/EBPβ promotes the expression of atrophy-inducing factors by tumours and is a central regulator of cancer cachexia. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2022 Feb;13(1):743-757. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.12909. Epub 2022 Jan 10. PMID: 35014202; PMCID: PMC8818591.
Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine
How do tissues maintain and repair themselves?
Advances in single-cell and multi-omic technologies allow us to examine tissues as dynamic cellular ecosystems. We seek to identify the cellular states, interactions, and adaptive pathways that emerge during regeneration, aging, and disease.
Keywords: quiescence, self-renewal, repair, single-cell genomics, cellular heterogeneity, tissue microenvironments, systems biology
Key publications
Lala-Tabbert N, AlSudais H, Marchildon F, Fu D, Wiper-Bergeron N. CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta promotes muscle stem cell quiescence through regulation of quiescence-associated genes. Stem Cells. 2021 Mar;39(3):345-357. doi: 10.1002/stem.3319. Epub 2020 Dec 23. PMID: 33326659.
AlSudais H, Wiper-Bergeron N. From quiescence to repair: C/EBPβ as a regulator of muscle stem cell function in health and disease. FEBS J. 2022 Nov;289(21):6518-6530. doi: 10.1111/febs.16307. Epub 2021 Dec 9. PMID: 34854237.
Gene Regulation & Cell Fate
How are cellular decisions controlled?
Our work explores the gene regulatory networks that control cellular identity, differentiation, and adaptation in health and disease.
Keywords: glucocorticoids, C/EBP transcription factors, transcriptional regulation, regenerative dysfunction, cell fate, chronic disease
Key publications:
Lamarche É, AlSudais H, Rajgara R, Fu D, Omaiche S, Wiper-Bergeron N. SMAD2 promotes myogenin expression and terminal myogenic differentiation. Development. 2021 Feb 8;148(3):dev195495. doi: 10.1242/dev.195495. PMID: 33462116.
Lala-Tabbert N, AlSudais H, Marchildon F, Fu D, Wiper-Bergeron N. CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β is required for satellite cell self-renewal. Skelet Muscle. 2016 Dec 7;6(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s13395-016-0112-8. PMID: 27923399; PMCID: PMC5142279.
Single-Cell & Systems Biology
How do complex cellular ecosystems respond to change?
Advances in single-cell and multi-omic technologies allow us to examine tissues as dynamic cellular ecosystems. We seek to identify the cellular states, interactions, and adaptive pathways that emerge during regeneration, aging, and disease.
Keywords: single-cell genomics, cellular heterogeneity, tissue microenvironments, systems biology
Key publications
Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Reveals Cachectic Satellite Cell Population in Muscle of Male Mice With Cancer Cachexia (2026): Used single-cell genomics to identify previously unrecognized stem cell states associated with cancer cachexia.