The 14th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Montreal Diabetes Research Center will be held on January 31st, 2020.
This year we will have the privilege to welcome Dr Kevin D. Hall, who will give the J. Denis McGarry MDRC Lecture and Dr Robert O. Wright, who will give the George Cahill Jr Lecture.
The retreat is supported by generous contributions from:
Dr Kana N. Miyata, post-doc in John Chan lab (CRCHUM), has received the prestigious Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship Award from the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Foundation. For more information, please visit the ASN website.
2019 MDRC Annual Scientific Meeting.
This year at the 13th Annual Scientific Meeting on February 1st, 2019, we will have the privilege to welcome Dre Nancy Cox, who will give the J. Denis McGary MDRC Lecture and Dre Elizabeth Meyer-Davis will give the George Cahill Lecture. We have a new addition this year, The Martin Rodbell Translational Research Lecture, to be given by Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif.
Over $2.5 million to Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret for research on the artificial pancreas.
Dr Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret research team at IRCM is receiving a grant of more than $2.5M USD from the U.S. NIH for a clinical study on external artificial pancreas. The goal of the project is to compare glucose control achieved using the single-hormone (insulin only) artificial pancreas, the dual-hormone (insulin and glucagon) artificial pancreas, and the conventional insulin pump to deliver insulin.
Dr Rabasa-Lhoret team is leading the field of artificial pancreas development in Canada, a technology which has the potential to greatly reduce complication risks associated to a poor glucose control in people with type 1 diabetes. Click here for the IRCM news release.
Each month, we highlight a MDRC laboratory and its people to better understand their researches and to get know them better. The laboratory of Dr Prentki at the CRCHUM is featured this month.
Themes
• Regulation of insulin secretion and metabolic transduction system of the pancreatic β-cell
• Molecular basis of β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes
• Role of adipose tissue in energy homeostasis, obesity and diabetes
• Detoxification systems of excess nutrients
• New biomarkers and therapeutic targets for diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome
Metabolic signal transduction in pancreatic β-cell and regulation of insulin secretion
Glucose must be metabolised by the pancreatic β cell to induce insulin secretion. The mechanism by which glucose exerts this effect is not well defined. We seek to identify intracellular coupling factors acting as mediators between glucose metabolism and insulin secretion. We hypothesized that three metabolic cycles (the Krebs cycle, pyruvate cycle and glycerolipids cycle/ fatty acids) are involved in the process of insulin secretion in response to glucose, fatty acids and certain amino acids. Our job is to test this hypothesis with biochemical and molecular biology approaches, such as RNAi, recombinant adenoviruses and KO mice, to over- or under-express of enzymes involved in the regulation of intermediary metabolism. We also wish to identify genetic and nutritional deficiencies causing defective insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes.
Etiology of Type 2 diabetes
A progressive deterioration of β cell in the presence of insulin resistance is at the root of type 2 diabetes . Our laboratory uses various animal models as well as β cells and Langerhans islet in culture to understand the mechanisms by which β-cell function is altered and what are the phenomena that cause apoptosis of these cells. We study in particular glucolipotoxicity in vitro and in vivo as well as the process of detoxification of excess nutrients.
New therapeutic targets for obesity and diabetes
We have identified new enzymes involved in the control of adiposity, energy metabolism and detoxification of excess nutrients. Our laboratory has patented these therapeutic targets. First, we study the mechanisms by which these targets work and secondly we are developing new inhibitor compounds in collaboration with industry.
More than 230 researchers and students gathered at the new CRCHUM Agora last February 5 for the tenth MDRC annual retreat. The meeting started with the 3rd George Cahill Lecture given by Dr Dan Drucker from Mount Sinai Hospital of Toronto and entitled “Redefining classical concepts of incretin hormone action”. Three students then presented their work – Denis Blondin (from André Carpentier laboratory) was awarded for best oral presentation – and Dr Ron Kahn gave the 11th J Denis McGarry Lecture entitled “Interactions between genes, environment and the gut microbiome in insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome”.
In the afternoon, 69 posters were presented and prizes were awarded for best presentation to: Erin Coyne (S Wing lab, McGill), Sophie Gravel (V Michaud lab, CRCHUM/UdM), Khalil Bouyakdan (T Alquier lab, CRCHUM/UdM), Nida Haider (L Larose lab, McGill), Liliia Butiaeva (M Kokoeva lab, McGill), Hicham Mahboubi (U Stochaj lab, McGill), Cindy Audiger (S Lesage lab, HMR), Léa Décarie-Spain (Fulton/Alquier lab, CRCHUM/UdM), Blandine Secco (M Laplante lab, U Laval) and Hasna Maachi (V Poitout lab, CRCHUM/UdM). Congratulations to all the students for their excellent work and presentations.
Three seminars ended the day, given by Sylvie Lesage from Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Frédéric Picard from Université Laval and Inès Holzbaur form Amorchem. Day highlights can be seen on MDRC twitter account @MDRC_CRDM.
This tenth MDRC Retreat was supported by Merck, Lilly, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Janssen, Boehringer, Takeda, Pfizer, McGill, Diabète Québec, CMDO, IRCM and CRCHUM.
MDRC annual retreat is scheduled for February 6, 2015. It will be held in the auditorium of the new CHUM research center, 900 St-Denis Street. Dr Philipp Scherer from the Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas is the invited speaker for the “2015 J Denis McGarry Lecture”.
Since last year the MDRC is proud to also present a major Lecture in clinical research, the “George Cahill Lecture”. Our second invited speaker is Dr Ralph DeFronzo from the Health Science Center in San Antonio. Oral and poster presentations by MDRC students and trainees are scheduled, as well as a presentation by Dr Philippe Crine, from Enobia Inc.
Please register as soon as possible through the form available here. Students and post-docs interested in giving an oral or poster presentation must submit their abstract through the same form before January 18, 2014.
The program will be available soon.
The 2015 Annual Retreat is sponsored by Merck, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Janssen, Boehringer, Sanofi, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Réseau de Recherche en Santé Cardiométabolique Diabète et Obésité (CMDO), IRCM, Diabète Québec and CRCHUM.
In recognition of the MDRC success at the Canada Foundation for Innovation competition, the Faculté de Médecine de l’Université de Montréal generously gives us $40,000 in funding for Msc and PhD students. Thanks to this support, 4 studentships of $10,000 are awarded each year.
Here are the 2014-2015 recipients:
Elsa Nyam, MSc student, Vincent Poitout lab (CRCHUM). Project title: “L’urée, potentiel médiateur de la dysfonction de la cellule bêta-pancréatique au cours de l’insuffisance rénale chronique”.
Nadine Taleb, MSc student, Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret lab (IRCM). Project title: “L’efficacité du pancréas artificiel externe durant l’exercice chez les adultes atteints du diabète du type 1”.
Cindy Audiger, PhD student, Sylvie Lesage and Nathalie Labrecque labs (HMR). Project title: “Role des cellules T mémoires dans la pathogenèse du diabète de type 1”.
Amélie Germain, MSc student, Mathieu Ferron lab (IRCM). Project title: “Le rôle de Gas6 dans le métabolisme du glucose”.
The Alberta Diabetes Institute is introducing a competition to offer 2 visiting scientist awards at a maximum of $10,000 each, so that scientists at any level can spend up to 4 months in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada carrying out their own research projects on human islets.
For more details please download this document or visit Dr Patrick MacDonald lab website. Deadline for application is January 31, 2015.
A new study conducted by MDRC member Dr May Faraj, shows that the number of low-density lipoprotein particles carrying bad cholesterol in the blood is an important factor in promoting the risk for type 2 diabetes in obese individuals. Their results are published in the May 2013 issue of the Journal of Lipid Research. This scientific breakthrough may help prevent diabetes by targeting treatments to higher-risk individuals. Click here for more details.
Two projects of the MDRC researchers Marc Prentki and Nabil Seidah have recently been funded by the venture capital fund AmorChem: more than 1 million and 1.5 million $, respectively. The shareholders of this fund are the Quebec government, Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Merck. The mission of AmorChem is to increase the commercial value of academic research discoveries in Quebec. Click here for an article in La Presse about this news (in French).
Two projects of the MDRC researchers Marc Prentki and Nabil Seidah have recently been funded by the venture capital fund AmorChem: more than 1 million and 1.5 million $, respectively. The shareholders of this fund are the Quebec government, Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Merck. The mission of AmorChem is to increase the commercial value of academic research discoveries in Quebec.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced last January 15 the attribution of a 6.5 million $ grant to fund the project entitled “The Montreal Cardiometabolic biomarker and drug discovery consortium (BIOcMET)”. This project is led by Dr Marc Prentki, MDRC director. Among the 10 investigators involved in the project, 8 are MDRC members: Drs Prentki, Poitout, Hamet, Turgeon, Gaudreau (UdM/CRCHUM), Rabasa-Lhoret, Seidah (UdM/IRCM) and Sladek (McGill). The two other researchers are Drs Blanchette (McGill) and Coulombe (UdM/IRCM).
MDRC Director Marc Prentki has been awarded the 2011 Albert Renold Prize by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) for “outstanding achievements in research on the islets of Langerhans”.
As part of the prize Dr Prentki was invited to give the Albert Renold Lecture at the 2011 EASD annual meeting. The title of his talk was: “Tricycling along the β-cell and its coupling mechanisms for fuel induced insulin secretion”.
Research assistant position. Dr Rami Al Batran laboratory
Research assistant, part time.
Dr Rami Al Batran laboratory, Université de Montréal.
For more information please click here.
Postdoctoral position. Dr. Jürgen Wess laboratory
Postdoctoral position. Dr Raphael Scharfmann laboratory
Research assistant position. Dr Jun-Li Liu laboratory
Research assistant.
Dr Jun-Li Liu laboratory, MUHC.
For more information please click here.
Postdoctoral position. Dr Guy Rutter laboratory
Postdoctoral position.
Dr Guy Rutter laboratory, Montreal Diabetes Research Center, CRCHUM.
For more information, please click here.
Postdoctoral position. Dr Corinne Hoesli laboratory
Postdoctoral position.
Dr Corinne Hoesli laboratory, McGill University.
For more information, please click here.
List of upcoming seminars 2020-2021
Séminaires CRDM 2020-2021
Postdoctoral position. Dr Vincent Poitout laboratory
Postdoctoral position.
Dr Vincent Poitout laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal.
For more information, please click here.
Ph.D. candidate – Dr. Shao-Ling Zhang laboratory
Ph.D. candidate position
Dr. Shao-Ling Zhang laboratory, CRCHUM
For more information, please click here.
Ph.D. candidate – Dr. Vincent Poitout laboratory
Ph.D. candidate position
Dr. Vincent Poitout laboratory, CRCHUM
For more information, please click here.
Research assistant position. Dr May Faraj laboratory
Research assistant.
Dr May Faraj laboratory, IRCM.
For more information please click here.
List of upcoming seminars 2019-2020
Séminaires CRDM 2019-2020
14th Annual Scientific Meeting
2020 MDRC Annual Scientific Meeting
The 14th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Montreal Diabetes Research Center will be held on January 31st, 2020.
This year we will have the privilege to welcome Dr Kevin D. Hall, who will give the J. Denis McGarry MDRC Lecture and Dr Robert O. Wright, who will give the George Cahill Jr Lecture.
The retreat is supported by generous contributions from:
Kana N. Miyata received a prestigious fellowship from the American Society of Nephrology Foundation
Dr Kana N. Miyata, post-doc in John Chan lab (CRCHUM), has received the prestigious Ben J. Lipps Research Fellowship Award from the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Foundation. For more information, please visit the ASN website.
13th Annual Scientific Meeting
2019 MDRC Annual Scientific Meeting.
This year at the 13th Annual Scientific Meeting on February 1st, 2019, we will have the privilege to welcome Dre Nancy Cox, who will give the J. Denis McGary MDRC Lecture and Dre Elizabeth Meyer-Davis will give the George Cahill Lecture. We have a new addition this year, The Martin Rodbell Translational Research Lecture, to be given by Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif.
List of upcoming seminars 2018 – 2019
Postdoctoral position. Dr Vincent Poitout laboratory
Postdoctoral position.
Dr Vincent Poitout laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal.
For more information please click here.
Professorship. Center for Basic Metabolic Research
Professorship.
Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
For more information please click here.
Doctoral student. Dr André Marette laboratory
Doctoral student.
Dr André Marette laboratory, Laval University, Quebec City.
For more information please click here.
Graduate student (MSc or PhD). Dr Gareth Lim laboratory
Graduate student (MSc or PhD).
Dr Gareth Lim laboratory, CRCHUM, Université de Montréal.
For more information please click here.
12th MDRC annual retreat
2018 MDRC Annual Retreat.
The next MDRC Annual Retreat will be held Friday Feb 2nd, 2018. Please save the date.
More details are coming soon.
List of upcoming seminars 2017 – 2018
List of upcoming seminars 2016 – 2017
Over $2.5 million to Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret for research on the artificial pancreas.
Over $2.5 million to Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret for research on the artificial pancreas.
Dr Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret research team at IRCM is receiving a grant of more than $2.5M USD from the U.S. NIH for a clinical study on external artificial pancreas. The goal of the project is to compare glucose control achieved using the single-hormone (insulin only) artificial pancreas, the dual-hormone (insulin and glucagon) artificial pancreas, and the conventional insulin pump to deliver insulin.
Dr Rabasa-Lhoret team is leading the field of artificial pancreas development in Canada, a technology which has the potential to greatly reduce complication risks associated to a poor glucose control in people with type 1 diabetes. Click here for the IRCM news release.
Human Islet
Clinical Research
Metabolomics
Rodent Metabolic Phenotyping
Lab of the month – Prentki
Lab of the Month
Each month, we highlight a MDRC laboratory and its people to better understand their researches and to get know them better. The laboratory of Dr Prentki at the CRCHUM is featured this month.
Themes
• Regulation of insulin secretion and metabolic transduction system of the pancreatic β-cell
• Molecular basis of β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes
• Role of adipose tissue in energy homeostasis, obesity and diabetes
• Detoxification systems of excess nutrients
• New biomarkers and therapeutic targets for diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome
Metabolic signal transduction in pancreatic β-cell and regulation of insulin secretion
Glucose must be metabolised by the pancreatic β cell to induce insulin secretion. The mechanism by which glucose exerts this effect is not well defined. We seek to identify intracellular coupling factors acting as mediators between glucose metabolism and insulin secretion. We hypothesized that three metabolic cycles (the Krebs cycle, pyruvate cycle and glycerolipids cycle/ fatty acids) are involved in the process of insulin secretion in response to glucose, fatty acids and certain amino acids. Our job is to test this hypothesis with biochemical and molecular biology approaches, such as RNAi, recombinant adenoviruses and KO mice, to over- or under-express of enzymes involved in the regulation of intermediary metabolism. We also wish to identify genetic and nutritional deficiencies causing defective insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes.
Etiology of Type 2 diabetes
A progressive deterioration of β cell in the presence of insulin resistance is at the root of type 2 diabetes . Our laboratory uses various animal models as well as β cells and Langerhans islet in culture to understand the mechanisms by which β-cell function is altered and what are the phenomena that cause apoptosis of these cells. We study in particular glucolipotoxicity in vitro and in vivo as well as the process of detoxification of excess nutrients.
New therapeutic targets for obesity and diabetes
We have identified new enzymes involved in the control of adiposity, energy metabolism and detoxification of excess nutrients. Our laboratory has patented these therapeutic targets. First, we study the mechanisms by which these targets work and secondly we are developing new inhibitor compounds in collaboration with industry.
List of upcoming seminars 2015 – 2016
10th MDRC annual retreat
More than 230 researchers and students gathered at the new CRCHUM Agora last February 5 for the tenth MDRC annual retreat. The meeting started with the 3rd George Cahill Lecture given by Dr Dan Drucker from Mount Sinai Hospital of Toronto and entitled “Redefining classical concepts of incretin hormone action”. Three students then presented their work – Denis Blondin (from André Carpentier laboratory) was awarded for best oral presentation – and Dr Ron Kahn gave the 11th J Denis McGarry Lecture entitled “Interactions between genes, environment and the gut microbiome in insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome”.
In the afternoon, 69 posters were presented and prizes were awarded for best presentation to: Erin Coyne (S Wing lab, McGill), Sophie Gravel (V Michaud lab, CRCHUM/UdM), Khalil Bouyakdan (T Alquier lab, CRCHUM/UdM), Nida Haider (L Larose lab, McGill), Liliia Butiaeva (M Kokoeva lab, McGill), Hicham Mahboubi (U Stochaj lab, McGill), Cindy Audiger (S Lesage lab, HMR), Léa Décarie-Spain (Fulton/Alquier lab, CRCHUM/UdM), Blandine Secco (M Laplante lab, U Laval) and Hasna Maachi (V Poitout lab, CRCHUM/UdM). Congratulations to all the students for their excellent work and presentations.
Three seminars ended the day, given by Sylvie Lesage from Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Frédéric Picard from Université Laval and Inès Holzbaur form Amorchem. Day highlights can be seen on MDRC twitter account @MDRC_CRDM.
This tenth MDRC Retreat was supported by Merck, Lilly, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Janssen, Boehringer, Takeda, Pfizer, McGill, Diabète Québec, CMDO, IRCM and CRCHUM.
Cellular Physiology
10th MDRC annual retreat
MDRC researchers at CRCHUM are wearing blue to mark the World Diabetes Day 2015
Dr Norbert Schmitz’ lab is organizing a conference on prediabetes and mental health
Congratulations to the fall 2015 MDRC Travel Awards recipients
Lise Gauvin elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences
Dr Vincent Poitout appointed Director of Research for the CHUM
Over $2.5 million to Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret for research on the artificial pancreas
2015 MDRC annual retreat
MDRC annual retreat is scheduled for February 6, 2015. It will be held in the auditorium of the new CHUM research center, 900 St-Denis Street. Dr Philipp Scherer from the Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas is the invited speaker for the “2015 J Denis McGarry Lecture”.
Since last year the MDRC is proud to also present a major Lecture in clinical research, the “George Cahill Lecture”. Our second invited speaker is Dr Ralph DeFronzo from the Health Science Center in San Antonio. Oral and poster presentations by MDRC students and trainees are scheduled, as well as a presentation by Dr Philippe Crine, from Enobia Inc.
Please register as soon as possible through the form available here. Students and post-docs interested in giving an oral or poster presentation must submit their abstract through the same form before January 18, 2014.
The program will be available soon.
The 2015 Annual Retreat is sponsored by Merck, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Janssen, Boehringer, Sanofi, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Réseau de Recherche en Santé Cardiométabolique Diabète et Obésité (CMDO), IRCM, Diabète Québec and CRCHUM.
Marc Prentki receives the “Prix d’excellence en recherche du CRCHUM 2015”
Congratulations to the 2014-2015 Faculté de Médecine de l’Université de Montréal/MDRC Studentships recipients
In recognition of the MDRC success at the Canada Foundation for Innovation competition, the Faculté de Médecine de l’Université de Montréal generously gives us $40,000 in funding for Msc and PhD students. Thanks to this support, 4 studentships of $10,000 are awarded each year.
Here are the 2014-2015 recipients:
Visiting Scientist Awards for projects on human islets
The Alberta Diabetes Institute is introducing a competition to offer 2 visiting scientist awards at a maximum of $10,000 each, so that scientists at any level can spend up to 4 months in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada carrying out their own research projects on human islets.
For more details please download this document or visit Dr Patrick MacDonald lab website. Deadline for application is January 31, 2015.
MDRC presents his first Report of Activities
Discovery of a new mechanism to prevent type 2 diabetes in obese individuals
A new study conducted by MDRC member Dr May Faraj, shows that the number of low-density lipoprotein particles carrying bad cholesterol in the blood is an important factor in promoting the risk for type 2 diabetes in obese individuals. Their results are published in the May 2013 issue of the Journal of Lipid Research. This scientific breakthrough may help prevent diabetes by targeting treatments to higher-risk individuals. Click here for more details.
AmorChem venture capital fund invests at MDRC
Two projects of the MDRC researchers Marc Prentki and Nabil Seidah have recently been funded by the venture capital fund AmorChem: more than 1 million and 1.5 million $, respectively. The shareholders of this fund are the Quebec government, Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Merck. The mission of AmorChem is to increase the commercial value of academic research discoveries in Quebec. Click here for an article in La Presse about this news (in French).
AmorChem venture capital fund invests at MDRC
AmorChem venture capital fund invests at MDRC.
Two projects of the MDRC researchers Marc Prentki and Nabil Seidah have recently been funded by the venture capital fund AmorChem: more than 1 million and 1.5 million $, respectively. The shareholders of this fund are the Quebec government, Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Merck. The mission of AmorChem is to increase the commercial value of academic research discoveries in Quebec.
Click here for an article in La Presse about this news (in French).
A $100,000 donation from Sun Life Financial
MDRC success for a CFI competition – Creation of the BIOcMET consortium
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced last January 15 the attribution of a 6.5 million $ grant to fund the project entitled “The Montreal Cardiometabolic biomarker and drug discovery consortium (BIOcMET)”. This project is led by Dr Marc Prentki, MDRC director. Among the 10 investigators involved in the project, 8 are MDRC members: Drs Prentki, Poitout, Hamet, Turgeon, Gaudreau (UdM/CRCHUM), Rabasa-Lhoret, Seidah (UdM/IRCM) and Sladek (McGill). The two other researchers are Drs Blanchette (McGill) and Coulombe (UdM/IRCM).
Marc Prentki is the EASD’s 2011 Albert Renold Prize recipient
MDRC Director Marc Prentki has been awarded the 2011 Albert Renold Prize by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) for “outstanding achievements in research on the islets of Langerhans”.
As part of the prize Dr Prentki was invited to give the Albert Renold Lecture at the 2011 EASD annual meeting. The title of his talk was: “Tricycling along the β-cell and its coupling mechanisms for fuel induced insulin secretion”.