EDUCATION AND DIPLOMA
Master in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC Average GPA : 4.113 on 4.3
Sept. 2017-Ongoing
Doctorat de Premier Cycle en Pharmacie (Pharm.D.)
Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC Average GPA : 3.792 on 4.3
August 2015-Abandonned in May 2017
Bachelor of Science - Honours in Pharmacology
McGill University, Montreal, QC Average GPA : 4.0 on 4.0
Sept. 2012-May 2015
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC August 2017-Ongoing Graduate student (Master’s); Supervisor : Dr. Huy Ong
The antioxidant effect of the CD36 ligand MPE-001 in the cytoprotection of retinal pigment epithelium
o Oxidative damages to the retinal pigment epithelium play an important role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. We aimed to study the potential antioxidant and cytoprotective effect of the CD36 ligand MPE-001 in retinal pigment epithelium.
o Techniques : Western blot, qRT-PCR, murine retinal pigment epithelium isolation and culture, siRNA and transient DNA transfection, confocal microscopy and confocal quantitative image cytometer, immunocytochemistry/immunofluorescence, flow cytometry
Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC May 2017-August 2017 Summer Student; Supervisor : Dr. Huy Ong
The effects of azapeptide ligands of CD36 on the immunometabolic reprogramming of macrophages
o Selective ligands of CD36 have been shown to have a modulatory effect on inflammation elicited by macrophages. We proposed that our azapeptide ligands of CD36 can induce a metabolic shift of macrophages, leading to a change in their inflammatory phenotype.
o Techniques : Western Blot, ELISA, bone marrow-derived macrophages isolation and culture, peritoneal macrophages isolation
Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC May 2016-March 2017 Summer Student; Supervisor : Dr. Huy Ong
o Selective ligands of CD36 can modulate inflammation in chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to characterize the signaling pathway implicated in the modulatory effect of azapeptide ligands of CD36 on inflammation.
o Techniques : Western Blot, ELISA, bone marrow-derived macrophages isolation and culture Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics,
McGill University, Montreal, QC May 2014-April 2015 Pharmacology Honours project; Supervisor: Dr. Bernard Robaire
Effects of in utero and lactational exposure to di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and the replacement plasticizer 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester (DINCH) on Sprague- Dawley rat epididymal function.
o Phthalates are high production volume chemicals that are commonly used as plasticizers. Some phthalates, such as DEHP, are known endocrine disruptors. The objectives of this study were to determine if in utero and lactational exposure to phthalates alters epididymal development, and to compare the effect of a new plasticizer, DINCH, with that of DEHP.
o Techniques: histology (tissue preparation, histological sectioning, staining, microscopy and morphometrical analysis, immunohistochemistry)
PUBLICATION
Mellal K, Omri S, Mulumba M, Tahiri H, Fortin C, Dorion M-F, Pham H, Garcia Ramos Y, Zhang J, Pundir S, Joyal J-S, Bouchard J-F, Sennlaub F, Febbraio M, Hardy P, Gravel S-P, Marleau S, Lubell W D, Chemtob S, and Ong H. Immunometabolic modulation of retinal inflammation by the CD36 ligand MPE- 001. Submitted for publication
PRESENTATIONS
2019 Marie-France Dorion, Shuya Kasai, Mukundila Mulumba, William D. Lubell, Ken Itoh and Huy Ong. The CD36 ligand azapeptide MPE-001 protects the retinal pigment epithelium from induced oxidative stress. Poster presentation at the 21st International Conference on Oxidative Stress Reduction, Redox Homeostasis and Antioxidants, Paris, France on June 20-21, 2019. 2018 Marie-France Dorion, Mukundila Mulumba, William D. Lubell, Ken Itoh and Huy Ong. The antioxidant effect of the CD36 ligand MPE-001 in the cytoprotection of retinal pigment epithelium. Poster presented at the Rendez-vous de la recherche pharmaceutique, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, in Montreal on December 6th 2018.
Marie-France Dorion. The antioxidant effect of the CD36 ligand MPE-001 in the context of age- related macular degeneration. Oral presentation given at the graduate student seminar day at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, in Montreal on November 20th 2018.
Marie-France Dorion, Mukundila Mulumba, William D. Lubell, Ken Itoh and Huy Ong. The antioxidant effect of the CD36 ligand MPE-001 in the cytoprotection of retinal pigment epithelium. Poster presented at the annual conference of Réseau québecois de recherche sur le medicament (RQRM) 2018, in Montreal on October 19th 2018.
Marie-France Dorion, Katia Mellal and Huy Ong. Effect of the CD36 ligand MPE-001 in macrophages immunometabolism. Poster presented at the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Summer Program 2018 poster presentation session in Hayama on June 15th
Katia Mellal, Samy Omri, Houda Tahiri, Marie-France Dorion, Jinqiang Zhang, Sylvie Marleau, William D Lubell, Sylvain Chemtob, Huy Ong. Azapeptide MPE-001, a CD36 ligand protects against photoreceptors degeneration in TLR2-mediated retinal inflammation. Poster presented at Toll 2018, in Porto on June 7th 2018.
2017 Katia Mellal, Samy Omri, Marie-France Dorion, Mukandila Mulumba, Yesica G. Ramos, Sylvie Marleau, William D. Lubell, Sylvain Chemtob and Huy Ong. Modulation de l’inflammation sous- rétinienne par le MPE-001 comme ligand du récepteur CD36 dans le traitement de la dégénérescence maculaire liée à l’âge. Poster presented at the Rendez-vous de la recherche pharmaceutique, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, in Montreal on December 7th
2017.
Katia Mellal, Samy Omri, Marie-France Dorion, Mukandila Mulumba, Yesica G. Ramos, Sylvie Marleau, William D. Lubell, Sylvain Chemtob and Huy Ong. CD36 ligand azapeptide MPE-001, a modulator of subretinal inflammation as a potential treatment of age-related macular degeneration. Poster presented at the annual conference of Réseau québecois de recherche sur le médicament (RQRM) 2017, in Quebec on September 30th 2017.
Katia Mellal, Samy Omri, Marie-France Dorion, Mukandila Mulumba, Yesica G. Ramos, Sylvie Marleau, William D. Lubell, Sylvain Chemtob and Huy Ong. Scavenger receptor CD36 as a target for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. Poster presented at the annual Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences (CSPS) Symposium 2017, in Montréal on May 11th 2017.
2016 Katia Mellal, Samy Omri, Marie-France Dorion, Mukandila Mulumba, Yesica G. Ramos, Sylvie Marleau, William D. Lubell, Sylvain Chemtob and Huy Ong. Le scavenger récepteur CD36 dans le traitement de la dégénérescence maculaire liée à l’âge. Poster presented at the Rendez-vous de la recherche pharmaceutique, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, in Montreal on December 1st 2016.
* GSK/CSPS Undergraduate Student Awards
Katia Mellal, Samy Omri, Marie-France Dorion, Mukandila Mulumba, Yesica G. Ramos, Sylvie Marleau, William D. Lubell, Sylvain Chemtob and Huy Ong. Scavenger receptor CD36 as a target for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. Poster presented at the 58th annual meeting of Club de recherches cliniques du Québec (CRCQ), in Lac Delage on October 1st 2016.
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Master’s training scholarship
Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé
May 2019-Ongoing
Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Dec. 2018
Famille Auclair Scholarship
Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC Oct. 2018
Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program 2018
Mitacs Globalink and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science June 2018
Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master’s
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
May 2018-April 2019
Recruitment scholarship
Research scholarship – Faculty of Pharmacy/Research supervisor
Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC April 2017
GSK/CSPS Undergraduate Student Awards
Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC
Dec. 2016
Research scholarship – Faculty of Pharmacy/Research supervisor
Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC
April 2016
First Class Honours in Pharmacology
Mcgill University, Montreal, QC May 2015
Anna and Robert Skomoroski Prize in Science
McGill University, Montreal, QC May 2015
Dean's Honour List
McGill University, Montreal, QC July 2014
Women Associates of McGill Scholarship
McGill University, Montreal, QC July 2014
Dean's Honour List
McGill University, Montreal, QC July 2013
Emily Ross Crawford Scholarship
McGill University, Montreal, QC July 2013
Alma Mater Scholarship
McGill University, Montreal, QC July 2012
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Globalink mentor for international students
Mitacs Globalink April 2019-ongoing
Research study abroad (advisor: Dr. Itoh Ken)
Department of Stress Response Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki
* Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements
Dec. 2018-Feb. 2019
Research study abroad (advisor: Dr. Itoh Ken)
Department of Stress Response Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki
* Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program 2018
June 2018-August 2018
Teaching assistant for PHA1320 Laboratoire – Pratique professionnelle 2
Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal
Winter 2018
Member of the pharmacy graduate student council – representative to the research committee
Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal