Team

Basil Petrof received his MD degree from Laval University, and then completed specialty training in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at McGill University, and Sleep Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. After obtaining a Clinician-Scientist Award from the Medical Research Council of Canada, he pursued post-doctoral research training at the Center for Respiratory Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania, working in the areas of respiratory muscle biology and sleep medicine. Since joining the faculty at McGill, he received the FRSQ Chercheur National Award, was Vice-President of the Quebec Respiratory Health Network, and currently serves as Director of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories and Director of the Program for Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases at the McGill University Health Centre Research Institute.
Tel: 514-934-1934 ext.76121 (admin), 76415 (lab)

Qian obtained her MSc in Immunology from the University of Manitoba. Her research project focused on understanding the activation of monocytes and the levels of oxylipins (fatty acid metabolites) and their associations with Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients. She joined Dr Petrof’s laboratory in 2017 and is studying muscle macrophages. She is currently focused on the turnover of muscle-localized macrophagse at steady state during post-natal development and the contribution of muscle-localized macrophage versus bone marrow-derived macrophage during muscle injury and recovery from acute injury.

Fatemeh Ostadan joined the Petrof lab 2018. She has a clinical background in rehabilitation (Orthotist/Prosthetist) and a research background in neuro-rehabilitation.

Tom completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Ottawa in 2021 with an Honors BSc in Biomedical Sciences. His honors research focused on alternative pathways of myogenesis in the absence of the transcription factor MyoD. He joined the Petrof lab in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in Experimental Medicine. His research focuses on the use of steroids to treat the trained immune response at the macrophage level in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Ryann obtained her BHSc at Western University in London, Ontario. She completed a fourth year thesis project focused on understanding the interactome of a calcium transporting protein in the pancreas with relevance to models of pancreatitis. She joined Dr. Petrof’s laboratory in Fall 2021 and is studying the consequences of acute mechanical ventilation on diaphragm health by using flow cytometry to immunoprofile relevant tissues.
Email: ryann.lang@mail.mcgill.ca

Feng Liang obtained his PhD in 2007 from the University of Montreal, where his thesis focused on monocyte-macrophage biology. He entered the Petrof laboratory in 2008 to pursue his post-doctoral fellowship, where he developed different dystrophic mouse models with altered chemokine receptor function. Since re-joining the lab as a research assistant, his work has largely revolved around the mechanisms by which mechanical ventilation triggers muscle injury and atrophy in the diaphragm. He is studying how mitochondrial function and cellular energy status are disrupted in the diaphragm during mechanical ventilation, and whether mechanical ventilation exerts similar adverse effects on the diaphragm in muscular dystrophy. His major areas of expertise include complex in vivo animal experimentation, gene expression analysis, and the assessment of skeletal muscle contractile properties in vivo and in vitro.

Ekaterina  Gusev graduated from McGill University with  a BSc in Biochemistry and a MSc in Molecular Biology. During her thesis, she worked on the regulation of Beta-Catenin (a protein and transcription factor that is essential in embryonic development, but is also  linked to colon cancer in adults) by Axin Complex. Since joining the Petrof lab as a Research Assistant, Ekaterina is working on muscle atrophy in cystic fibrosis.

Salyan Bhattarai, PhD
Completed: Postdoctoral Fellowship (2017-2022)
Present Position: Scientist, Biological Sciences at Paraza Pharma Inc.

Francois-Gabriel David, MD
Completed: Medical Research Project (2017-2019)
Present Position: Medical Resident

Junying Ding, MD
Visiting Professor (2017-2018)

Dong Shang, MD
Completed: Visiting Scholar (2017-2018)

Tong Li, PhD
Completed: Research Associate (2008-2017)
Present Position: Retired (Congratulations Tong!)

Andrew Weinstock, MD
Completed: Medical Research Fellowship (2016-2017)

Kamalika Mojumdar, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2011-2016)
Project Description: Roles of chemokine receptor (CCR2) and Toll-like receptor (TLR2)-mediated inflammation in the pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Ilan Azuelos, MD
Completed: Master’s Thesis, Dept. of Experimental Medicine (2013-2014)
Project Title: Relationship between autophagy and ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction
Present Position: Assistant Professor, Dept of Medicine and Meakins-Christie Laboratories, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

Christian Giordano, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2010-2014)
Project Description: Role of inflammation in respiratory muscle dysfunction
Past Position: Research Associate, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (2014-2017)
Present Position: Scientist, ITR Laboratories Canada Inc., Baie D’Urfe, Quebec, Canada

Boris Jung, MD, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2011-2012)
Project Title: Ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction and oxidative stress
Present Position: Associate Professor, Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Montpellier, France

Martin Picard, PhD
Completed: PhD (co-supervision), Dept. of Kinesiology (2009-2011)
Project Title: Mitochondrial abnormalities in ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction
Present Position: Assistant Professor, Columbia University, USA

Tatsuma Okazaki, MD, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2010-2011)
Project Description: Pathogenesis of diaphragm dysfunction in sepsis
Present Position: Associate Professor, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

Marion Pauly, PhD
Completed: PhD (co-supervision), University of Montpellier (2009-2010)
Project Title: Role of autophagy in dystrophic diaphragm pathology
Past Position: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Montpellier, France
Current Position: Activités physiques et sportives, University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France

Feng Liang, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2008-2011)
Project Description: Role of chemokines in muscular dystrophy pathogenesis
Present Position: Research Assistant, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Sarah Joseph, MD
Completed: Master’s Thesis, Dept. of Experimental Medicine (2007-2009)
Project Title: Role of Toll-like receptors autophagy in muscular dystrophy pathogenesis
Past Position: Medical Resident

Hoi Wing Yim, MD
Completed: Master’s Thesis, Dept. of Experimental Medicine (2007-2009)
Project Title: Role of Toll-like receptors autophagy in muscular dystrophy pathogenesis

Linda Yahiaoui, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2003-2006)
Project Title: Role of chemokines in muscle regeneration
Present Position: Biomedical Industry, UK

Katherine Labbe
Completed: Master’s Thesis (2004-2007)
Project Title: MCP-1 in septic muscles
Past Position: Post-doc, University of California, Davis, USA

Haouaria Balghi, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2006-2008)
Project Title: Role of calcium and NFAT signaling
Present Position: College Professor, Montreal, Quebec

John Boyd, MD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2004-2005)
Project Description: Muscle pathology in sleep
Present Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Critical Care, University of British Columbia, Canada

Stefan Matecki, MD, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2002-2004)
Project Description: Gene therapy of respiratory muscles
Present Position: Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Montpellier, France

Alexandre Demoule, MD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2003-2005)
Project Description: Cytokine expression in diaphragm injury
Present Position: Director of Intensive Care Unit, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France

Maziar Divangahi, PhD
Completed: PhD (2001-2005)
Project Title: Effects of Pseudomonas infection on diaphragm
Present Position: Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Canada

Dudley Roy, PhD
Completed: PhD (1999-2004)
Project Title: Role of free radicals
Present Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, McGill University Health Center, Canada

Maya Khairallah, PhD
Completed: PhD (2001)
Project Title: Muscle metabolism in muscular dystrophy
Present Position: College Professor, Beirut, Lebanon

Theodoros Vassilokopoulos, MD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2001-2002)
Present Position: Professor and Chief, Department of Critical Care, Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece

Dmitrios Parthenis, MD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (2001-2002)
Present Position: Cardiovascular Surgeon, Greece

Danialou Gawiyou, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (1998-2002)
Present Position: Research Associate, McGill University, Canada

Cho Won-Kyung, MD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (1997-2000)
Present Position: Pulmonologist, USA

Ebihara Satoru, MD, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (1996-1999)
Present Position: Professor and Director, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan

Yang Lying, MD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (1994-1997)
Present Position: Physiotherapist, Vancouver, BC

Luo Jun, MD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (1996-1997)

Lin Meng-Chih, MD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (1996-1997)
Present Position: Intensive Care Unit Medical Director, Taiwan

Zhu Ercheng, MD, PhD
Completed: Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship (1994-1995)
Present Position: Research Associate, UCLA, USA