Exploring the Labs

At the Bellini Building, Dr. Wei-Hsiang Huang welcomes students into a lab that utilizes advanced neuroscience tools to understand the molecular, synaptic, and circuit mechanisms underlying syndromic autism spectrum disorders, with a focus on Smith-Magenis Syndrome. In an interview with the Daily, he explained that “Our lab is developing novel disease models for translational preclinical research and facilitating drug discovery.”

At the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital (Neuro), Dr. Jerome Fortin states he and his team “are interested in understanding how brain tumours arise, progress, and could be treated. We generate in vivo and in vitro disease models that carry glioma-causing mutations seen in human tumours. With these models, we dissect how mutations individually and cooperatively alter cell differentiation, proliferation, epigenetics, and metabolism.” Continuing the tour at the Neuro, Dr. Allison Fournier’s lab explores the mechanisms that influence neural regeneration. “The aim of our research program is to develop a better understanding of the molecular components participating in neurite outgrowth and growth cone collapse. A fuller understanding of the mechanism of outgrowth inhibition will be used to develop strategies to promote regenerative growth,” said Dr. Fournier.

Still at the Neuro, the McPherson lab, led by Dr. Peter McPherson, studies how molecular mechanisms regulate membrane tracking. “Our studies focus on the molecular mechanisms that regulate membrane trafficking within the endosomal system with an emphasis on such events in the nervous system. In particular, we have focused on the formation and function of clathrin-coated pits and vesicles and the movement of proteins between the various compartments of multiple cell types, including neurons,” said Dr. McPherson.

The Stratton Lab at the Neuro, led by Dr. Jo Anne Stratton, focuses on the study of the ependymal cell and its role in multiple sclerosis and neurodegeneration. “We are interested in the function of one, largely understudied, specialized glia cell in the central nervous system: the ependymal cell, to explore its role in multiple sclerosis and neurodegeneration. We assess material from patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Stratton.

Back at the Bellini Building, Dr. Kalle Ghering and his team research the application of biophysics to protein structure. “Our interests are centred on the application of biophysics to the study of protein structure and function,” said Dr. Gehring. “The laboratory works in two areas: ubiquitination pathways in neurodegenerative diseases; and RLs, a family of highly oncogenic protein phosphatases,.” Also at the Bellini, Dr. Natalie Zeytuni’s lab researches the microbiomes of oral cavities. “The human oral cavity hosts one of the most diverse microbiomes, second only to the gut, with over 700 microbial species forming intricate biofilms. Research in the Zeytuni lab focuses on understanding the complexities of these microbial communities, particularly the role of Porphyromonas gingivalis — a key pathogen in
periodontitis,” said Dr. Zeytuni.

The tours conclude with the Guarné lab, led by Dr. Alba Gaurné, focusing on proteins’ influence on DNA during chromosome replication. “Our goal is to understand how proteins determine the fate of DNA during chromosome replication and repair. in particular, how regulatory proteins orchestrate the stabilization of damaged replication forks with DNA repair and forks restart. Since most of the proteins that regulate these processes lack a measurable enzymatic activity, our efforts are aimed at seeing how they work using a broad range of structural biology techniques. We then combine structural information with biochemical and genetic analysis to elucidate their functions at a
molecular level,” said Dr. Guarné.

Beyond the exposure they provide, these tours reflect TOSI TC’s broader mission to promote accessible, transparent, and interdisciplinary science. Students from all departments are encouraged to sign up, whether they are interested in research opportunities or simply curious about what happens in a lab. By opening research lab spaces to students, the tours allow this next generation of scientists to see themselves as part of McGill’s scientific community.

The Fall 2025 edition takes place from October 27 to November 6, with weekly sign-ups available on the club’s Instagram. To learn more about this event and future events, visit the club’s Instagram: @tosi_trainees.

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Soup and Science happens twice every academic year: once in the Fall term (usually late September), and once in the Winter term (usually January or February). Every day over the course of a week, five speakers — typically four professors and one undergraduate student from the Faculty of Science — give an overview of the aims and importance of their research work.

The talks, each lasting around five minutes, aim to provide brief but complete introductions of the speakers’ research to both current and prospective McGill students. They offer undergraduates an opportunity to interact directly with professors outside of class. Topics of the 37th Soup and Science talks ranged from evolutionary microbiology to bot detection, from drug synthesis and the development of quantum materials.

Following the lectures, audience members are challenged to a pop quiz on the topic of each presentation. Correct answers win the respondent a free “Faculty of Science” T-shirt. Afterward, soup is served for lunch — hence the “soup” in  Soup and Science — where students have the chance to mingle with the faculty, share their questions and discuss their interests. These discussions frequently end with offers for academic term or summer research projects.

Soup and Science was designed as a unique opportunity for students to meet their professors outside of the lecture hall. Science undergraduate programs often involve the successful completion of research projects, which take place either over the summer or during the academic term. For a first-time student researcher, searching for these positions can be daunting. This is where Soup and Science comes into play, with the aim to streamline this process by bringing professors and students together in a casual setting with more space for one-on-one conversations.

Rees Kassen, Professor of Evolutionary Biology and director of the Trottier Institute of Science and Public Policy, highlights the importance of promoting student-professor collaboration. He notes: “It’s hard for professors, in a lecture hall of 200 to 300 people, to interact with students. In my own research, I try to find ways to engage as many as possible. I hope to share my passion and get as many people as interested as possible.”

For newer students, Soup and Science also offers a window into the nature of research beyond the scope of their classes. Unlike cut-and-dry course content, real scientific investigations can be long and gritty, often requiring years of effort and a consistent process of trial and error to yield fruit.

“It’s really valuable for students to come and learn about science in a setting that is informal and welcoming,” says Grace Parish, an undergraduate researcher working at the Nguyen Lab in McGill’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology. She observes how “presentations are short, engaging, and accessible, helping students figure out what they might be interested in without getting them bogged down in the details.”

Contrary to departmental seminars which tend to involve faculty members and graduate students in specific fields of research, Soup and Science talks are geared toward introducing research to an audience with little to no expected background. The relatively relaxed tone of the event serves to spark the curiosity of students and faculty alike, engaging them in a way where they feel more free to learn.

“These presentations really show the different things people do across the Faculty of Science,” says John Stix, Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Associate Dean of Research at McGill. He notes that while students are the main audience, the event is also of value to McGill professors as well. “[Researchers] tend to pigeonhole ourselves in our own fields, and we don’t know what people do across disciplines.”

Stix highlights the interdisciplinary benefits of Soup and Science in its ability to bring people from largely disparate fields, like geography and chemistry, together in the same room. For himself and many other professors, Soup and Science lectures also offer new perspectives on their own work in relation to other fields they are not necessarily familiar with. “Over time, people often find connections — an instrument, a computer program — between fields. The goal of Soup and Science is for both students and professors to get exposure to see the amazing work being done here at McGill.”

To learn more about Soup and Science, you can visit their website at www.mcgill.ca/science/research/undergraduate-research/soupscience, as well as view a selection of past talks on the McGill Science and McGill University YouTube channels.

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It is less well known, however, that racism is just as pressing a public health issue. According to a recent study led by Dr. Chae, the racism that the Black people face may age them prematurely, leading to the early onset of serious health problems.

This aging occurs at a cellular level and pertains to the shortening of telomeres, the DNA-protein structures that sit at both ends of each chromosome in the cell and prevent chromosomes from fraying. As a natural cellular process, a small segment of telomere is lost in each cell division. When telomere length reaches a critical limit, the cell no longer divides and will die, which can lead to tissue and organ dysfunction and various chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia. Telomere length controls the lifespan of a cell and thus an individual. The shortening of telomeres can be accelerated by many factors, including smoking, obesity, exposure to pollution or other harmful agents, an unhealthy diet, a lack of physical activity, and stress.

A unique form of stress experienced by the Black population is racial discrimination, which has contributed to  well-documented disparities in health. Numerous studies have shed light on the associations between racial discrimination and biological precursors of clinical disease outcomes, such as glucocorticoids (corticosteroid hormones that have inhibitory effects on immune responses and manage the acute onset of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders), proinflammatory cytokines (protein-based signalling molecules that mediate immune responses, such as proliferation and differentiation of lymphocytes, inflammation, allergies, and fever), and other markers of inflammation. One study specifically investigated one mechanism through which racism-related stress impacts the telomere maintenance system. Data was collected from around 400 African Americans who participated in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA), Telomere Ancillary Study in 2000, and the follow-up took place ten years later. At the beginning and the end of the study, the participants with an average age of 40 were inquired about the discrimination they experienced in various contexts, including employment, housing, and medical care. This study concluded that increased experiences of racial discrimination in midlife were associated with accelerated telomere shortening and health declines. The results are concordant with a growing body of research on the role of racism in reducing life expectancy for Black people.

Although this study advances research on racial discrimination and health outcomes, there are some notable caveats to consider. One issue pertains to the generalization of the findings. The sample of the study was taken from metropolitan areas in the United States and thus may not represent populations from other geographic regions. Another limitation is the uneven gender distribution, as Black women and men may differ in their perceptions of racial discrimination and in their physiologic responses to racism-related stress. Moreover, the participants in the study were in midlife, so the results are likely specific to this age group. The authors themselves pointed to the need for more research to study biological consequences of racial discrimination in other stages of life, such as childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of racial discrimination on health outcomes.

In fact, another recent study led by Sierra Carter, a psychology professor at Georgia State University, shed light on the impact of racism-induced stress on aging earlier in life. Data, including self-reported questionnaires, from 368 participants in the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS) was included in Carter’s analyses. The findings of this study supported the conclusion that stress of racism accelerated physiological weathering. This weathering resulted in premature health deterioration and aging of bodily systems, putting Black people at a higher risk of diseases such as diabetes and cardio-vascular disease. Additionally, the findings suggested that encounters of racial discrimination were associated with augmented depressive symptoms between the ages of 10 and 15 and 20 and 29 even when confounding variables, including smoking and alcohol consumption, were controlled. Based on these findings, the authors inferred that depressive symptoms could be the driving factor of accelerated aging. Carter plans to examine more deeply the accelerated aging processes and possible early life interventions. She also emphasizes the importance of acknowledging racism-related stress when treating mental health conditions, such as depression. 

Despite an increased understanding of the impact of structural racism on health, further research is needed to quantify and characterize  structural racism and its effects on public health. Only then can the effectiveness of anti-racism interventions in health service delivery and policy making be further ameliorated to dismantle structural racism and advance health equity.

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