Jennifer L. Estall

Jennifer L. Estall is a Full Professor/Researcher at the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal. She is also affiliated with the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) and the Montreal Diabetes Research Center.

Dr. Estall's research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetes and metabolic diseases. Her work primarily investigates how metabolic disruption contributes to the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and to hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease), both of which play major roles in diabetes progression. She is particularly interested in the interplay between environmental factors and genetics in disease development and protection.

Her laboratory employs genetic models, biochemistry techniques, proteomics, and gene expression pathway analyses to identify key molecules involved in diabetes pathogenesis. Current research directions include studying mitochondrial adaptation in fatty liver disease and associated liver cancer, deciphering the role of Nck/PERK interaction in pancreatic beta cell function, and exploring mRNA delivery for beta cell-targeted diabetes treatment.

Dr. Estall's publications from 2015-2021 reveal a strong focus on transcriptional regulation in metabolic tissues, particularly examining PGC-1 coactivators in both pancreatic beta cells and liver. Her work demonstrates how these molecular regulators influence insulin secretion, lipid metabolism, and cellular responses to metabolic stress, providing insights that could lead to novel diabetes therapies.

Dr. Estall has secured substantial research funding from multiple sources including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Quebec Health Research Fund (FRQS), the National Research Council of Canada, and Diabetes Canada. Her grants span various aspects of diabetes research from transcriptional regulation of metabolic syndrome to beta-cell mitochondrial function. She has supervised multiple graduate students to completion, including PhD candidates Mélissa Léveillé (2020), Aurèle Besse-Patin (2018), and Master's student Philipa Levesque-Damphousse (2020). Her mentorship focuses on training the next generation of researchers in molecular diabetes and metabolism.

Dr. Estall's laboratory is part of the IRCM's metabolic diseases research unit, where she collaborates with other researchers studying diabetes, fatty liver disease, and related metabolic disorders. Her team combines expertise in molecular biology, biochemistry, and animal models to advance understanding of metabolic disease mechanisms.