معرفی
Dr. Gilbert Bernier is an Associate Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal. He directs the research unit on molecular mechanisms of neuronal aging at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre (CRHMR) and investigates retinal development, neurodegenerative diseases, and stem cell applications.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal
- CRHMR Researcher
- Member of Vision Health Research Network (RRSV)
- Co-applicant in multiple collaborative grants
Education:
- PhD in Molecular Biology
Research Interests focus on:
- Genetic control of retinal development
- Role of Pax6 and Lhx2 transcription factors
- Epigenetic mechanisms in neuronal aging
- Stem cell differentiation into photoreceptors
- Therapeutic applications for retinal degeneration and Alzheimer's disease
Recent research trends include: studying COCO/Dand5 in visual function, exploring Polycomb group proteins (BMI1) in heterochromatin stability, developing stem cell transplantation therapies for retinal diseases, and investigating neuroinflammatory pathways in Alzheimer's disease.
Scientific Recognition:
- Faculty of 1000 - Best Scientific Papers in Biology (2008-2009)
Research Funding highlights:
- CIHR Project Grant (2023-2029) for COCO/Dand5 therapeutic potential
- NSERC Discovery Grant (2023-2029) studying Polycomb functions in heterochromatin
- NSERC Discovery Grant (2017-2024) on genome destabilization mechanisms
- Stem Cell Network grants (2018-2021; 2020-2022) for retinal transplantation
- CIHR Project Grant (2017-2018) for Alzheimer's mechanisms
- Foundation Fighting Blindness funding (2015-2018) on retinal stem cells
- Continuous funding from FRQS (2002-2013) and others
Laboratory Focus: The lab investigates molecular switches in brain aging, particularly BMI1 gene function, and develops stem cell therapies for retinal degeneration. Current work explores COCO/BMP antagonism in ocular pathologies and translational approaches for macular degeneration.
