Meakins-Christie Laboratories

Meakins-Christie Laboratories The Meakins-Christie Laboratories is a respiratory research centre at McGill and the RI-MUHC

The Meakins-Christie Laboratories are one of the premiere centers for research on respiratory diseases in the world. The overall research theme is the pathobiology of pulmonary disease with a particular focus on the role of inflammation. A multidisciplinary and collaborative approach is used to study the basic mechanisms of asthma, COPD and pulmonary fibrosis through the parallel study of human ce

lls and tissues coupled to appropriate animal models. Research is facilitated by the availability of a variety of core facilities. The Research Directors are an equal mix of PhD and MD scientists, ensuring the clinical orientation of research questions and increasing the likelihood that translational research will emerge from the more fundamental areas of investigation. The Meakins-Christie Laboratories serve as an important training ground for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and Meakins-Christie alumni are found throughout the world. There are weekly seminars, work-in-progress sessions, a journal club, and a variety of activities, as well as social functions organized by the Students and Postdocs In REspiration association (SPiRE).

05/23/2025

Le de est-il vraiment plus sécuritaire que de le fumer? Deux études récentes de L’Institut suggèrent qu’il est temps de réévaluer cette perception. 🔬

Dirigées par Carolyn Baglole, Ph. D., chercheuse au Programme de recherche translationnelle sur les maladies respiratoires de L'Institut, ces études ont montré que la vapeur de cannabis contient des substances toxiques pouvant induire un stress cellulaire dans les poumons et modifier l’activité des gènes de façon liée au cancer, à l’inflammation et à un dysfonctionnement immunitaire.

🧪 Dans la première étude, publiée dans 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 – 𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, Maddison Arlen, doctorante et première autrice, a analysé la composition chimique de la fumée et de la vapeur de cannabis. Résultat : les deux déclenchent des réponses de stress similaires dans les cellules épithéliales pulmonaires.

🧬 La deuxième étude, publiée dans 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, a été menée par Emily Wilson, également doctorante et première autrice. À l’aide de trois modèles de laboratoire, elle a montré que la vapeur de cannabis perturbe la régulation génétique associée à l’inflammation et aux dommages cellulaires.

« Ces études remettent en question l’idée que le vapotage de cannabis est plus sécuritaire que de le fumer », explique la Pre Baglole. « Elles soulignent l’importance de poursuivre les recherches et peuvent orienter les politiques de santé publique et à sensibiliser la population. »

💡 Pour en savoir plus : https://rimuhc.ca/fr/-/va**ng-cannabis-could-harm-your-lungs

***

Is **ng really safer than smoking it? Two recent studies from The Institute suggest we need to take a closer look. 🔬

Led by Carolyn Baglole, PhD, Scientist in The Institute's Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program, these studies found that cannabis vapour contains toxic substances that can stress lung cells and alter gene activity in ways linked to cancer, inflammation, and immune dysfunction.

🧪 In the first study, published in 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 – 𝘓𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, PhD trainee and first author Maddison Arlen examined the chemical composition of cannabis smoke and vapour, revealing that both triggered similar stress responses in lung epithelial cells.

🧬 The second study, published in 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, was led by PhD trainee and first author Emily Wilson, who used three lab models to show that cannabis vapour disrupts gene regulation tied to inflammation and cellular damage.

“These studies challenge the perception that va**ng cannabis is safer than smoking it,” says Prof. Baglole. “They highlight the need for further investigation and can guide public health policies and awareness.”

💡 To learn more: https://rimuhc.ca/en/-/va**ng-cannabis-could-harm-your-lungs

McGill University McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

04/29/2025
Congrats Ben!
08/09/2024

Congrats Ben!

Benjamin Smith, MD, and his team at the RI-MUHC have received $2 million dollars to lead research on inflammation and lung health. The research plan includes diverse and understudied populations from around the world, focussing on the impact of inflammation on growth and aging of the lungs, with the goal of enhancing lifelong lung health. The team’s research proposal ranked first in a recent Canadian Institutes of Health Research funding competition. Congratulations to Benjamin Smith, Jean Bourbeau, Sophie E. Collins and Dany Dorion, who conduct research in the Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program at the RI-MUHC. Read more on our website: https://tinyurl.com/869mxraa

En français : Institut de recherche du Centre universitaire de santé McGill

Centre universitaire de santé McGill - McGill University Health Centre
McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

08/09/2024

“When I was young, my best friend needed a kidney transplant,” recounts Darcy Wager, PhD, and Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering in McGill’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. “But he died while waiting on the list.”

Learn more as Darcy leads the charge in advancing bioengineered therapies for acute and chronic lung diseases, centred on advanced 3D bioprinting for precise lung tissue generation: https://rimuhc.ca/-/after-a-tragic-loss-a-career-devoted-to-organ-regeneration

The shortage of organ donations is more than a public health crisis for Darcy Wagner, PhD, the scientist in the Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program (RESP) at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). It is a personal tragedy-turned-mission.

Learn more about the RESP - https://rimuhc.ca/translational-research-in-respiratory-diseases-program

En français : Institut de recherche du Centre universitaire de santé McGill

Congrats to the whole Divangahi Lab and team for their latest publication!
01/29/2024

Congrats to the whole Divangahi Lab and team for their latest publication!

An RI-MUHC team reveals a new mechanism by which the 100-year-old BCG vaccine provides cross-protection against the influenza A virus → http://tinyurl.com/3k4jbue7

Double congratulations are in order! Jean Bourbeau is the recipient of the 2024 CIHR-Canadian Thoracic Society  Distingu...
12/20/2023

Double congratulations are in order! Jean Bourbeau is the recipient of the 2024 CIHR-Canadian Thoracic Society Distinguished Lecturer in Respiratory Sciences for 2024. This award is given to individuals who exemplify research excellence, a strong and reputable presence within Canada and on the international scene, and a meaningful impact in mentorship and training. It comes as no surprise to any of us that Jean perfectly fits the bill in all of these categories. Maziar Divangahi was named the CIHR-Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) Mid-Career Lecturer in Respiratory Sciences for 2024. This award is given to individuals who have contributed significantly to the advancement of respiratory sciences within the past 10 years in Canada. This is a great honour and very well deserved for the outstanding work Maz has published over the past several years in the area of host-pathogen interactions in the lung, including a recent paper in Nature.

Two new plaques were unveiled at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories in celebration of its 50th Anniversary. Thank you to ...
12/18/2023

Two new plaques were unveiled at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories in celebration of its 50th Anniversary. Thank you to the MUHC Foundation for making this happen!

We are pleased to announce that Darcy Wagner will join the Meakins-Christie Laboratories in January 2024 as the Canada E...
12/04/2023

We are pleased to announce that Darcy Wagner will join the Meakins-Christie Laboratories in January 2024 as the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Lung Regenerative Medicine. Her research is developing new therapeutic interventions that can replace diseased lung tissue or accelerate its regeneration. The goal of her research is to generate functional respiratory tissue with the potential for clinical translation. Welcome Darcy!

Darcy Wagner awarded Canada Excellence Research Chair in Lung Regenerative Medicine and will join the Meakins-Christie Laboratories

09/28/2023
Thank you to our 180+ attendees that joined us for our 50th Anniversary symposium and Respiratory Research Day! The even...
05/19/2023

Thank you to our 180+ attendees that joined us for our 50th Anniversary symposium and Respiratory Research Day! The event brought together current faculty, trainees, alumni and colleagues for a memorable event! Our speakers and alumni came from all over the world - Japan, UK, Spain, France, UAE, USA. Thank you to all the trainees, residents, and postdocs that submitted abstracts (68!) and participated in the poster and oral sessions. We can't wait to see you at the next event (like the Meakins ATS Cocktail!!!!).

Congrats Sabah Hussain!
05/04/2023

Congrats Sabah Hussain!

In a new study published in Nature Communications (Nature Portfolio), RI-MUHC researchers report how they were able to identify a previously unknown gene involved in regulating autophagy and skeletal muscle integrity → https://tinyurl.com/5dcwnby6

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The Meakins-Christie Laboratories are one of the premiere centers for research on respiratory diseases in the world. The overall research theme is the pathobiology of pulmonary disease with a particular focus on the role of inflammation. A multidisciplinary and collaborative approach is used to study the basic mechanisms of asthma, COPD and pulmonary fibrosis through the parallel study of human cells and tissues coupled to appropriate animal models. Research is facilitated by the availability of a variety of core facilities. The Research Directors are an equal mix of PhD and MD scientists, ensuring the clinical orientation of research questions and increasing the likelihood that translational research will emerge from the more fundamental areas of investigation. The Meakins-Christie Laboratories serve as an important training ground for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and Meakins-Christie alumni are found throughout the world. There are weekly seminars, work-in-progress sessions, a variety of activities including an annual research day and thematic workshops, as well as social functions organized by the Students and Postdocs In REspiration association (SPiRE).