2022 MRM Talks: Dr. Vahab Soleimani and Darren Blackburn
The MRM Network presents: the MRM Talks. Join us every fourth Thursday at noon to learn more about stem cells and regenerative medicine. The webinar series will feature leading scientists in the field, including MRM Principal Investigators and external guest speakers.
For each seminar, we will also highlight the work of one MRM Trainee, who will present alongside our guest speaker.
In this edition of the MRM Talks:
Dr. Vahab Soleimani,
Associate Professor, Department of Human Genetics – McGill University
Investigator, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research – Jewish General Hospital
“How your neighborhood affects your life: studying how muscle stem cells communicate with their niche environment”
MRM TRAINEE:
Darren Blackburn,
Ph.D. Candidate in Dr. Soleimani’s Lab
McGill University
“Untangling the functional interactions of the muscle stem cell niche through advances in sequencing”
THURSDAY, April 21, 2022
12:00 – 1:00 PM
VIRTUAL
Missed the presentation? You can catch up on our Youtube Channel. NOTE: This video is only available to MRM members. Please contact us at mrm@mcgill.ca to verify your status and request access to the recording.
About the speakers:
Dr. Vahab Soleimani is an Associate Professor at the Department of Human Genetic, McGill University and an investigator at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research. His research is focused on unravelling the molecular communication between muscle stem cells and their niche environment during tissue maintenance and regeneration.
Darren Miquel Blackburn is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Vahab Soleimani’s lab, at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research – McGill University, Department of Human Genetics. He completed a diploma in Biotechnology at Algonquin College and a B.Sc. in Biology at Carleton University, in Ottawa. Afterwards, he worked as a research assistant at the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) in Delémont, Switzerland under the supervision of Dr. Tim Haye in the arthropod biological control project. Darren started his Master’s project in Dr. Soleimani’s lab in 2018 followed by fast-tracking to Ph.D. in 2020. His thesis is focused on elucidating the interplay between muscle stem and niche cells and the molecular mechanisms that regulate muscle stem cell behaviour in development and during aging. During this time, he has made major contributions to the understanding of the communication between muscle stem cells and the components of their niche environment, as well as developing novel and highly sensitive tools and technologies to address the challenges associated with studying stem cells in their niche context. After his Ph.D., his goal is to pursue post-doctoral research in regenerative medicine. He is looking forward to establishing his own research program and to train the next generation of stem cell researchers in the future.
We want to hear from you, and we welcome your suggestions for speakers!
If you are interested in hosting an invited speaker, please get in touch with us.