معرفی
Nada Jabado, OC, MD, PhD is a distinguished Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. She serves as a Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) at the Glen site, where she leads the Child Health and Human Development Program within the Centre for Translational Biology. Dr. Jabado is also a staff physician in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the Montreal Children's Hospital, integrating her clinical expertise with groundbreaking research in pediatric neuro-oncology.
Dr. Jabado's research revolutionized our understanding of pediatric brain tumors through her pioneering discovery of histone mutations (oncohistones) as key drivers of cancer development. Her laboratory, established in 2003, has demonstrated that pediatric high-grade astrocytomas are molecularly and genetically distinct from adult tumors, identifying recurrent somatic driver mutations in histone 3 variants (H3.3 and H3.1) that lead to specific global DNA methylation patterns. Her work spans epigenetics, next-generation sequencing, molecular biology, and targeted therapy development for pediatric brain cancers, with particular focus on gliomas and astrocytomas.
Analysis of Dr. Jabado's recent publications reveals a strong trend toward understanding tumor-immune interactions in pediatric brain cancers, developing targeted therapies against specific molecular alterations (particularly in the MAPK pathway), and advancing precision medicine approaches through DNA methylation-based tumor classification. Her research increasingly focuses on translating molecular discoveries into clinical applications, with numerous clinical trials investigating novel therapeutic approaches for children with brain tumors.
- Officer of the Order of Canada (2024)
- L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Award for North America (2024)
- Canadian Cancer Society's Robert L. Noble Prize for outstanding achievements in basic biomedical cancer research (2021)
- Recognition in Nature Milestones in Cancer for her seminal 2012 Nature article on histone mutations in pediatric glioblastoma
Dr. Jabado has mentored numerous trainees who have gone on to successful careers in research and medicine, including PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and research associates. Her laboratory has received substantial funding from prestigious organizations including CIHR, Genome Canada, NIH, and the Canadian Cancer Society, supporting her innovative research program that bridges basic science and clinical application. Dr. Jabado leads the Jabado Lab, which has grown from humble beginnings in 2003 to become a world leader in the study of the genetics and epigenetics of pediatric brain tumors, collaborating extensively with other leading research groups internationally.
