Wiper-Bergeron LabuOttawa · Faculty of Medicine, home

Research and discoveries

Using molecular and cell biology techniques and innovative mouse models, our current research focuses on developing new treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and cancer cachexia.

Research themes

Cancer cachexia and 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.

  • 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 cachexiaBrown et al. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2026. doi:10.1002/jcsm.70260Identifies a new cachexia-associated muscle stem cell population and shows how cellular states evolve as cachexia progresses.
  • C/EBPβ promotes the expression of atrophy-inducing factors by tumours and is a central regulator of cancer cachexiaAlSudais H, Rajgara R, Saleh A, Wiper-Bergeron N.J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2022;13(1):743–757. doi:10.1002/jcsm.12909

Stem cells and regenerative medicine

How do tissues maintain and repair themselves?

Muscle stem cells spend most of their lives in quiescence, ready to self-renew and repair muscle after injury. We study the transcriptional programs that keep these cells in reserve and the signals that call them into action, and how those programs change during regeneration, aging and disease.

  • quiescence
  • self-renewal
  • repair
  • single-cell genomics
  • cellular heterogeneity
  • tissue microenvironments

Key publications

  • CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta promotes muscle stem cell quiescence through regulation of quiescence-associated genesLala-Tabbert N, AlSudais H, Marchildon F, Fu D, Wiper-Bergeron N.Stem Cells. 2021;39(3):345–357. doi:10.1002/stem.3319
  • From quiescence to repair: C/EBPβ as a regulator of muscle stem cell function in health and diseaseAlSudais H, Wiper-Bergeron N.FEBS J. 2022;289(21):6518–6530. doi:10.1111/febs.16307

Gene regulation and 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.

  • glucocorticoids
  • C/EBP transcription factors
  • transcriptional regulation
  • cell fate

Key publications

  • SMAD2 promotes myogenin expression and terminal myogenic differentiationLamarche É, AlSudais H, Rajgara R, Fu D, Omaiche S, Wiper-Bergeron N.Development. 2021;148(3):dev195495. doi:10.1242/dev.195495
  • CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β is required for satellite cell self-renewalLala-Tabbert N, AlSudais H, Marchildon F, Fu D, Wiper-Bergeron N.Skelet Muscle. 2016;6(1):40. doi:10.1186/s13395-016-0112-8

Single-cell and 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.

  • single-cell genomics
  • cellular heterogeneity
  • tissue microenvironments
  • systems biology

Key publication

  • Single-cell RNA-sequencing reveals cachectic satellite cell population in muscle of male mice with cancer cachexiaBrown et al. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2026. doi:10.1002/jcsm.70260Uses single-cell genomics to identify previously unrecognized stem cell states associated with cancer cachexia.

More from the lab

Our work also explores graduate education, social accountability and the role of biomedical research in society.

Research and society

Selected publications

Full publication list on PubMed