Pierre Mattar
Senior Scientist, Regenerative Medicine Program
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Assistant Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
University of Ottawa
Clifford, Gladys and Lorna J. Wood Chair for Research in Vision
Ottawa Hospital
Research Interests
The lab is focused on how retinal cell types are i) produced and ii) maintained.
Retinal cell death plays a role in all of the main causes of blindness. Once killed, retinal neurons are lost forever. These cells cannot be regenerated in humans.
Deciphering how retinal neurons are produced during development might help us to regenerate retinal tissue artificially. Cells could be generated in the lab, and then transplanted into individuals to replace the cells that they have lost.
Understanding the degenerative process might provide new approaches that could help prevent or mitigate degeneration.
Brief Biography
Selected Publications
1. Mattar P, Stevanovic M, Nad I, Cayouette M.
Casz1 controls higher order nuclear organization.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2018. 115(34):E7987-E7996.
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/08/01/1803069115
2. Mattar P, Ericson J, Blackshaw S, Cayouette M.
A Conserved Regulatory Logic Controls Temporal Identity in Mouse Neural Progenitors.
Neuron. 2015 Feb. 4; 85(3): 497-504.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25654255
3. Li S†, Mattar P†, Dixit R†, Lawn SO, Wilkinson G, Kinch C, Eisenstat D,
Kurrasch DM, Chan JA, Schuurmans C.
RAS/ERK Signaling Controls Proneural Genetic Programs in Cortical Development and Gliomagenesis.
J Neurosci. 2014 Feb 5; 34(6):2169-90.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24501358
4. Li S†, Mattar P†, Zinyk D, Singh K, Chaturvedi CP, Kovach C, Dixit R,
Kurrasch DM, Ma YC, Chan JA, Wallace V, Dilworth FJ, Brand M, Schuurmans C.
GSK3 Temporally Regulates Neurogenin 2 Proneural Activity in the Neocortex.
J Neurosci. 201 Jun 6;32(23):7791-805.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22674256
5. Mattar P, Mattar P, Jolicoeur C, Dang T, Shah S, Clark BS, Cayouette M.
A Casz1-NuRD complex regulates temporal identity transitions in neural progenitors
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-83395-7
†Denotes equal authorship
Diseases, conditions and populations of interest
Research and clinical approaches