In a recent preclinical study published in Biomaterials, the gel increased stem cell survival more than fivefold compared to conventional approaches. By acting as a biodegradable scaffold, the gel creates space within cell clusters, allowing oxygen and nutrients to circulate more effectively and enhancing their ability to repair damaged muscle tissue.

In animal models, a single injection improved stem cell retention and led to measurable gains in swallowing muscle function. This minimally invasive approach could offer a new therapeutic option for patients who currently rely on rehabilitation or surgery.

The technology has already undergone early-phase clinical testing in Japan in a different therapeutic context. Researchers are now exploring its long-term potential and applications in other conditions, including vocal cord injury, age-related muscle loss, and muscular dystrophy.

Dr. Nicole Li-Jessen is an member of the RI-MUHC RESP Program.

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New injectable gel could help repair damaged swallowing muscles. Biomaterial increases stem cell survival fivefold in preclinical tests, paving the way for advances in regenerative treatments. McGill News. March 17, 2026.

New injectable gel could help repair damaged swallowing muscles. Researchers from The Institute, McGill University and Kyoto University team up to develop biomaterial that increases stem cell survival fivefold in preclinical tests, paving the way for advances in regenerative treatments. The Institute News. April 28, 2026

Trouble swallowing? A nanogel tweak may keep therapeutic stem cells alive longer. Phys.org. Edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan. March 11, 2026.

Read the Article

Click-crosslinked nanogels integrated into 3D stem cell spheroids enhance regenerative function for swallowing muscle repair. Okuyama H, Brown M, Munipalle M, Nejati S, Huo R, Sakata H, Mizuta R, Sasaki Y, Akiyoshi K, Ohnishi H, Kishimoto Y, Omori K, Li J, Mongeau L, Li-Jessen NYK. Biomaterials. 2026 Jul;330:124044. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2026.124044. Epub 2026 Feb 3.

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Deborah Assayag (Priority Announcement)
The Longitudinal Use of Oscillometry in Interstitial Lung Diseases

Jonathon Campbell
Co-Investigators: Benjamin Smith, Kevin Schwartzman, Dick Menzies, Andrea Benedetti
Functional Outcomes, Lung health, and Livelihood Outcomes among people With Tuberculosis (FOLLOW-TB): a pan-Canadian prospective cohort study

Maziar Divangahi
Harnessing the power of trained immunity in disease tolerance against influenza virus

Elizabeth Fixman (Priority Announcement)
Sex-specific mechanisms by which environmental triggers promote durable changes to the lung to exacerbate type 2 innate and adaptive immunity

Irah King
Mechanisms of tissue-resident T cell activation for intestinal host defense

Larry Lands (Co-Principal Investigator)
Nominated Principal Investigator: Juan Ianowski (University of Saskatchewan)
Function of pulmonary ionocytes and club cells in human airway and their contribution to cystic fibrosis lung disease

Larry Lands (Co-Principal Investigator)
Nominated Principal Investigator: Sze Man Tse (Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine)
Predicting biologic therapy response in children with severe asthma: the Medication response and Asthma Therapy in CHildren with severe Asthma (MATCHA) Study

Sushmita Pamidi
Co-Investigators: Andrea Benedetti, John Kimoff
Sleep-Disordered Breathing During Pregnancy and Long-Term Postpartum Blood Pressure Pattern

Bryan Ross
Co-Investigators: Jean Bourbeau, Jun Ding, Sabah Hussain, Larry Lands
Enhancing the Clinical Benefits of COPD Chronic Management: The SUPplementation with URolithin-A during Pulmonary Rehabilitation in COPD (SUPRA-COPD) Trial

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Sami Sedraoui, PhD, is postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Dr. Sabah Hussain. Sami received the Relève étoile Jacques-Genest award from the Fonds de recherche du Québec–Santé (FRQS) for his 2024 publication in the Journal of Physiology, titled “Lack of compensatory mitophagy in skeletal muscles during sepsis.”

Sami’s research explores how muscles manage damaged mitochondria, especially during critical illnesses like sepsis. His study shows that in sepsis, the normal process of clearing out defective mitochondria (called mitophagy) fails, contributing to muscle weakness. This new understanding suggests that boosting mitophagy could become a promising treatment to protect muscle strength in ICU patients.

Dr. Hussain praised Sami’s work, highlighting its potential to shape future therapies aimed at preserving muscle health during serious illnesses.

The Relève Étoile Award celebrates outstanding achievements by young researchers and is named in honor of Dr. Jacques Genest, a pioneer in medical research.

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Relève étoile Jacques-Genest | Avril 2025. FRQ Website.

April 2025 winner of the Relève étoile Jacques-Genest award. Congratulations to Sami Sedraoui, post-doctoral researcher in experimental medicine at the Meakins-Christie Laboratories. The Institute News. May 5, 2025

RI-MUHC researchers identify new autophagy-regulating gene. The Institute News. April 28, 2023.

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Sami Sedraoui, Jean-Philippe, Leduc-Gaudet, Dominique Mayaki, Alaa Moamer, Laurent Huck, Gilles Gouspillou, Basil J Petrof, Sabah Hussain, Lack of compensatory mitophagy in skeletal muscles during sepsis, The Journal of Physiology, 2024 Jun; 602(12):2823-2838.

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Sabah Hussain. Regulation of skeletal muscle mass and function by long non-coding RNAs

Anne-Marie Lauzon. Smooth muscle biophysics.

Nicole Yee-Key Li-Jessen. Computational Biomodeling in Upper Airway: Particulate Pollutant Toxicity and Mechanistics. (Dr. Li-Jessen is an Associate Member of the RESP Program).

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Congrats to the the Montreal Chest Hospital Team!

The post Run for a Reason 2022 appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

Their study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that signals sent from damaged muscles to the bone marrow induce long-lasting changes in immune cells termed ‘trained immunity’ and actually exacerbate harmful inflammation. Salyan Bhattarai explains:

“We found that in muscular dystrophy, macrophages show the classical elements of trained immunity, including epigenetic changes that can cause long-term maintenance of the abnormal inflammatory behaviour of these cells… It appears that the chronic release of muscle damage molecules into the bloodstream is able to reprogram macrophage precursors in the bone marrow at a distance.”

Salyan Bhattarai, PhD

The discovery of Dr. Petrof and his research team paves the way for the development of more targeted therapies based on targeting of the epigenetic and metabolic mechanisms known to promote trained immunity.

Basil Petrof, MD, is a Senior Scientist and member of the RESP Program at the Research Institute of the MUHC and Director of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories at McGill University.

Read more about the study and the findings here:

RI-MUHC team uncovers new mechanism of inflammation in muscular dystrophy RI-MUHC Research News, February, 2022.

TLR4 is a regulator of trained immunity in a murine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy Bhattarai S, Li Q, Ding J, Liang F, Gusev E, Lapohos O, Fonseca GJ, Kaufmann E, Divangahi M, Petrof BJ. Nat Commun. 2022 Feb 15;13(1):879. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28531-1. PMID: 35169163.

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Basil Petrof. Co-applicant: Jun Ding. Novel therapies for diaphragm failure in muscular dystrophy. Ranked 2nd!

Jun Ding. Co-Applicant: Carolyn Baglole. Unagi: Computational approach driven repurposed drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Funded as an ECI on his first attempt!

Faiz Ahmad Khan. Co-Principal Applicants: Kevin Schwartzman, Frantz Jean Louis. Chest Radiography and TB Elimination in Nunavik: novel solutions to fill gaps and strengthen regional capacity. Ranked 2nd!

We would also like to report the following successful grants:

From the CIHR Operating Grant: Addressing the Wider Health Impacts of COVID-19:

Marta Kaminska. COVID-19 pandemic effects on outcomes of patients in a provincial home ventilation program.

From the CIHR Operating Grant: Emerging COVID-19 Research Gaps & Priorities program:

Tanis Janaudis-Ferreira. Virtual physical rehabilitation following COVID-19 hospitalization.

The post 3 CIHR Project Grants and 2 COVID-19 Grants Awarded! appeared first on Meakins-Christie Laboratories.

That year, more than 80 awards totaling over $1.6 million were presented to outstanding researchers whose work continues to drive innovation across diverse fields of medicine. These awards highlight how philanthropy and collaboration fuel the breakthroughs that shape a healthier future for all.

Recipients from the RESP Program and the Meakins-Christie Laboratories

The Honourable Hartland Molson Fellowship
Dr. Faiz Ahmad Khan

Strauss Chair in Respiratory Medicine
Dr. Maziar Divangahi

Helen McCall Hutchison Award in Geriatric Medicine
Dr. Sabah Hussain

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2020 Research Awards. MGH Foundation News. October 2020.

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Sabah Hussain. Co-investigators: Gilles Gouspillou, Marco Sandri. Title: MYTHO: An uncharacterized FoxO-dependent gene that controls autophagy and skeletal muscle mass.

Jean Bourbeau, Sébastien Gagnon. Co-investigators: Rebecca Colman, James Downar, Dennis Jensen, Hayley Lewthwaite, Bryan Ross. Title: Sublingual Fentanyl for acute relief of breathlessness in patients with advanced COPD : A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design trial.

Kevin Schwartzman, James Johnston. Title: Tuberculosis in Canada: Modeling to Inform Elimination. Ranked 2nd in the Public, Community & Population Health.

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Read more about the award: Code Life Ventilator Challenge – Made For All, McGill University.

About the Joule COVID-19 Innovation grant program: https://joulecma.ca/innovate/covid-grants.

Dr. Peter Goldberg is a member of the Meakins-Christie Laboratories, Associate Member of the RI-MUHC RESP program, leader of the SubK Sprint, and is the Director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the McGill University Health Centre.

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