معرفی
Catherine Martel is a Professor at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Medicine, holding positions in both the Department of Medicine and the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. She is also affiliated with the Montreal Heart Institute (Institut de Cardiologie de Montréal), where she leads research on the lymphatic system's role in cardiovascular disease.
Her research expertise centers on cardiovascular system biology, with specific focus on atherosclerosis, lymphatic function, and reverse cholesterol transport. Dr. Martel discovered a new integrated model for macrophage reverse cholesterol transport, identifying the lymphatic system as a prerequisite player in the modulation of cholesterol removal from artery walls. Her work has demonstrated that without a functional lymphatic network, cholesterol excreted from plaque macrophages cannot be properly conducted out of the artery wall.
Her publication record shows a consistent focus on the interplay between lymphatic function and atherosclerosis, with recent work expanding into extracellular vesicles, microvesicles, and their role in lymphatic vessel function. Her research combines molecular biology, cell biology, and cardiovascular physiology approaches to understand disease mechanisms and identify novel therapeutic targets.
- Prix Martial G. Bourassa, Outstanding scientist < 45 years-old (Montreal Heart Institute)
- Société Québécoise d'Hypertension Artérielle New Investigator Award
- Fondation Jacques-de Champlain / Heart & Stroke Fondation New Investigator Award
- Banting Research Foundation Discovery Award
- American Heart Association Best of Specialty Conferences recognition
Dr. Martel actively supervises graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, with a track record of mentoring students through Master's and PhD programs. She currently holds the Canada Research Chair in Lymphatics and Cardiovascular Medicine and leads multiple research projects funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and Heart and Stroke Foundation. Her laboratory investigates lymphatic vessel function in atherosclerosis using various cellular and molecular biology techniques including flow cytometry, western blot, immunofluorescence, intravital imaging, and PCR.
