OUR TEAM
STAFF
Damien Faury, MSc
Lab Manager
Damien obtained a Protein Engineer degree in a former life and then decided to cross the Atlantic Ocean to see what life looked like in the New World. Once here, he completed an MSc in Applied Microbiology and then joined the Jabado lab as its very 1st member… in 2003. Since then, his role has evolved but his passion remains the same. He makes sure conditions are there for everyone to work in a good and safe research environment. The thematic of his research project is liquid biopsy. He plays soccer and is a big fan of that sport. With 3 boys at home, he almost has his own team.
Caterina Russo, MSc
Research Assistant
Caterina is a native Montrealer. She obtained her BSc in Biochemistry at McGill University and an MSc at Concordia University-CO-OP. Her focus was on characterizing the structure and function of the mouse oxytocin receptor gene. She has been working for Mcgill University as a Research Assistant for nearly thirty years. She has worked in several labs at the RVH, Goodman Cancer Centre, MNI and is now at the Glen under the supervision of Dr. Nada Jabado. The list of techniques she acquired over the years is quite extensive. She is now mainly involved in elucidating the role of histone H3 mutations and their involvement in the oncogenesis of pediatric tumors. In her spare time, Cathy enjoys gardening, working out at the gym, watching movies, ancient history, reading and long walks with her dog.
Emily Nakada, PhD
Research Associate and Biobank Manager
Emily grew up in the suburbs of Toronto with her parents and siblings. She received her BSc, PhD, and completed a 2-year post-doc at McGill, and a 3 year post-doc at the University of Vermont, with projects focused on studying murine models of asthma and irritant-induced lung injury. Today, among other things, I she is the Biobank Manager for ORCYD, which is largely a repository for brain tumour samples. She has two cats and enjoys watching movies, hiking, and cooking.
Nikoleta Juretic, MSc,PhD
Project Manager
Nikoleta joined the Jabado lab in 2015 after an eventful youth spanning Croatia, Canada, Japan and the Philippines and research subjects ranging from plants to insects and monkeys. Following a PhD at McGill University on the role of transposable elements in plant genome evolution, she started working as a project manager on large-scale genomics research projects and has been involved in a number of projects funded by Genome Canada, Genome Quebec and the NIH. In her free time, Nikoleta enjoys traveling, reading novels, jogging, dancing and yoga.
Augusto Faria Andrade, MSc,PhD
Research Associate
Augusto completed his BSc in Biology and his Master’s degree in Genetics. During his PhD (Science, Genetics) at University of São Paulo (Brazil), he studied the effects of DNA methylation inhibition in pediatric medulloblastoma. Next, he was a postdoctoral fellow at INSERM U1194 (France), where he worked aiming to unravel mechanisms of cancer resistance and immune response to chemotherapy.
Augusto joined Dr. Jabado lab in March 2019 as a postdoctoral fellow and transitioned to a research associate position in August 2022. Currently, he is working on studying the role of K27M histone mutation in gliomagenesis using mouse models and screening for effective drug combinations. Outside of the lab, he spends his time swimming, listening to music and exploring Montreal for the best beers/food.
Qing Wu, MD
Research Associate
Qing grew up and obtained her MD in Beijing, China. After practicing as a medical doctor in Beijing many years, she spent four years in Israel working on a research project in Molecular Biology. Then, Qing moved to Canada and has been working at the MUHC Research Institute since 1997. In the Jabado lab she is involved in clinical brain tumour sample preparation and testing. In her leisure time, Qing enjoys gardening, walking in parks, watching movies and travelling.
Pariya Azarafshar, MSc
Research Assistant
Pariya obtained her BSc in Animal Science from University of Tehran in 2018. She started an MSc in Human Genetics at McGill in September 2019 and chose to work in the Jabado lab because of her passion for understanding more about the role of genes and epigenetics in cancer development. Since June 2022, she has transitioned to a research assistant position in the lab.
Pariya paints and especially loves watercolor painting. She also enjoys working out at the gym and going out with friends in her free time.
POSTDOCS
PHD STUDENTS
Alva Annett, MSc
Alva has a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and master’s degree in bioinformatics from Uppsala University. During her master’s she became interested in pediatric cancer and single cell genomics which made Dr. Jabado’s lab a perfect fit for her PhD. The focus of her project is to analyze histone mutations and their effect on the epigenetic landscape. Her work is mainly computational, and she is co-supervised by Dr. Jabado and Dr. Claudia Kleinman. In her free time Alva enjoys hiking, gardening and having a beer with friends.
Kimia Asghari, MSc
Kimia completed her BSc in Genetics and her Master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from 2015 to 2022 in Iran at the University of Isfahan. She started to pursue her Ph.D. in Human Genetics at McGill University and her research in the Dr. Jabado lab in June 2022.
She is interested in the role of genes and epigenetics in cancer, as well as the effects of histone mutations on tumorigenesis and their microenvironment. She enjoys swimming, hiking, and ice skating as hobbies.
Wajih Jawhar, MSc
Wajih obtained his BSc. in Biology in Beirut, Lebanon. He first joined the Jabado lab in 2018 as a MSc. student in Human Genetics, co-supervised by Dr. Livia Garzia. During his MSc., he worked on deciphering genetic drivers of initiation and progression of pediatric sarcomas. Fascinated by epigenetics, he is now pursuing his PhD focusing on dissecting the role of epigenomic dysregulation in mesenchymal development and neoplasia. Other than eureka moments, Wajih enjoys tennis, hiking, and biking.
Ahmed El Mouatani, MD, MSc
After his medical training and master's degree in Europe, Ahmed joined the Jabado lab in January 2023 as a PhD candidate. His PhD project focuses on the study of G34R/V mutations in gliomas and the involvement of PDGFR signaling. Outside of the lab, he enjoys cinema, photography, music, and spending time with friends and family.
Claudia Negrón-Lomas, MSc
Claudia completed her BSc in Biotechnology Engineering and a MSc in genetics and molecular biology in Mexico City. Captivated by cancer epigenetics, she joined the Jabado lab on January 2023, and she is co-supervised by Dr. Livia Garzia. Claudia is working on projects focused on studying the role of histone mutations on pediatric and young adult tumors. Outside the lab, her favorite hobby is scuba diving. She loves traveling, working out, and hanging out with friends.
MASTER'S STUDENTS
Evan Puligandla, BSc
Evan completed his BSc. in Pharmacology at McGill University in 2022 and continued with his MSc. in Genetics in the Fall. Evan has been a volunteer and lab assistant in the Jabado lab since 2018, working with all the lab members on many different projects. He is now working closely with Augusto on the Flex project as well as the immune profiling of pediatric low-grade gliomas. Outside of the lab, Evan spends his time working out at the gym or in the pool, listening to music in his room or at concerts, and finding good spots to eat in the city.
Gayathri Yogarajah, BSc
Gaya completed her BSc at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM-Paris) in Industrial Sciences in 2012. During the last 6 years, she worked in several research centers such as the Institut Pasteur, Institut Gustave Roussy and Institut Marie Curie, where she acquired a strong expertise in molecular and cell biology. Her passion for neuroscience led her to study cerebral development while developing her expertise in stem cells and cerebral organoids. Gaya joined Dr. Jabado’s lab in June 2019 as a research assistant and, in September 2020, started a Master’s program co-supervised by Dr. Jabado and Dr. Serge McGraw. She is studying the role of chromatin modifiers in developmental syndromes. Outside of the lab, Gaya enjoys playing badminton with her co-workers, Jiving, going to music concerts, eating and spending time with her friends.
Aysha Alsahlawi, MD
Aysha is a PGY-4 Neurosurgery resident at the Montreal Neurological Institute and a MSc candidate in Human Genetics at McGill University. As she aims to become a Surgeon-Scientist, her work involves both clinical and wet lab research. She is interested in investigating the epigenetics of Gliomas as well as understanding their microenvironment. Outside the lab she enjoys jazz, poetry and solo travels.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
VISITING RESEARCHERS
Carolina Cavalier Gomes, DDS, MSc, PhD
Carolina is a molecular pathologist working as an associate professor at the Department of Pathology of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She did her training in Oral Pathology and her PhD in Molecular Medicine at the same University. She spent a sabbatical year in Dr. Jabado’s Lab between July 2017-June 2018, where she used a combination of next-generation sequencing and morphological techniques to investigate the molecular basis of giant cell granulomas of the jaws. She is currently spending 7 months in Dr. Jabado’s Lab to develop a joint study on bone tumors. Her main research focus is the molecular pathogenesis of odontogenic tumors and giant cell granulomas of the jaws. Work from her group has uncovered the genetic basis of giant cell-rich lesions of the jaws, adenomatoid odontogenic tumor, and adenoid ameloblastoma. Additionally, she is a co-author in the chapter of "Odontogenic and Maxillofacial bone tumors" in the current WHO Classification of Head and Neck Tumors (5th Ed, 2022). Outside the Lab, Carolina enjoys travelling, reading, watching TV series, swimming and working out.