Q&A with Dr. Mojgan Rastegar - Merit Award Winner

ENRRICH member Dr. Mojgan Rastegar was recently awarded the Merit Award by the University of Manitoba. We asked Dr. Rastegar to tell us more about the award and her research.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself, and the work that you do in the field of pediatric neurodevelopment and rehabilitation?

I am a Professor of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, at the University of Manitoba, a Scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), and a member of the Board of Directors at the Canadian Society of Molecular Biosciences (CSMB).

Since 2009, my laboratory has focused on the role of genetics, epigenetics, and environmental factors in brain development, stem cell differentiation, and childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Epigenetics is the study of how various environmental and/or behavioral factors can alter gene expression. My lab studies the underlying disease mechanisms for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), and Rett Syndrome (RTT).

Can you tell us more about the Merit Award? 

Every year, the University of Manitoba recognizes select faculty members for their outstanding contributions to Research, Teaching, and Community outreach throughout their careers. For the year 2022, I was honored to receive the University of Manitoba Merit Award in Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Engineering for the Combination of Teaching, Service, and Research, Scholarly work, and other Creative Category.

What does it mean to you to be selected for this award? 

Receiving the Merit Award is very important to me. This award recognizes the hard work and dedication of both myself as a faculty member, and my research team, for over a decade. This award encourages me to further continue fulfilling my commitments in my role as a scientist and researcher in my department, faculty, and university, and as part of the larger academic community in Canada.

What inspires you to do the work you do? 

Since a very young age, I was always fascinated with learning, teaching, and helping others. I love what I do, and I am very passionate about my research, and conveying my hypotheses and ideas in the form of research experiments. I am very excited to witness the success of my students and trainees in reaching their career goals and supporting them to progress in their professional path. I am delighted to see that our discoveries and research outcomes have been recognized in the field and that has inspired other scientists to be attracted to this line of research.

What research projects are you currently working on? 

There are two ongoing "basic science” and “health-related” research programs in my lab.

My basic research program is focused on the role of epigenetic mechanisms on the chromatin structure and cell fate commitment of brain cells, and how DNA methylation balances the organization of chromatin structure in different brain cell types. Since 2009, this line of research in my lab has been supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (NSERC-DG) and other complementary funding resources.

My health-related research program explores how molecular changes at the cellular level can lead to differences in brain function in childhood neurodevelopmental conditions such as FASD, ASD, and Rett Syndrome. In this regard, we use a combination of in vitro and in vivo model systems, along with molecular, cellular, and neuroscience techniques, using candidate and genome-wide approaches, pre-clinical studies of metabolic drugs for neurodevelopmental diseases.  Our studies in these areas of research are mainly supported by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), in addition to international, national, and local funding agencies.

What is your research group most recognized for?

My research program is best recognized for our studies on Rett Syndrome. The affected children exhibit symptoms by 6-18 months of age. These include developmental regression, loss of their ability to speak and use their hands, breathing difficulties, and neurological symptoms such as anxiety, seizures, and mental disability.  With the support from RTT parents across Canada and RTT-supported organizations, we have established a unique resource of post-mortem human RTT patient brain tissues in Canada (https://www.rett.ca/human-rett-syndrome-brain-bio-repository-laboratory/#:~:text=This%20laboratory%20is%20a%20unique,post%2Dmortem%20patient%20brain%20tissues.). This was initiated through direct organ donation by RTT family members, for which we are extremely grateful. This human RTT brain bio-repository is located in CHRIM, and we receive RTT post-mortem brain donation from across Canada. We expect the results of our investigations to pave the way for designing effective therapeutic strategies in the future that are not only important for RTT, but also for similar neurodevelopmental conditions in children that currently have no available cure.

6- What led you to become an ENRRICH member?

Our research activities are perfectly in line with the mission, vision, and values of ENRRICH. I am delighted to be a part of ENRRICH basic scientists with research contributions in the field of neurodevelopment rehabilitation and child health.

7- What advice would you like to share with trainees and new investigators?

Enjoy your journey in science, love what you do, and never get discouraged with difficulties and hurdles. Learn from your failures and explore new solutions by implementing corrective actions to address those barriers. Be resilient, you will succeed if you believe in yourself!

Congratulations Dr. Rastegar!

About the Author

Dr. Mojgan Rastegar is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics at the University of Manitoba and has been a scientist at CHRIM for over a decade. She has a PhD degree in Biomedical Sciences from the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels, Belgium. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Canada), McGill University (Montreal, Canada), and Indiana University-Purdue University (Indianapolis, USA). Her research is focused on the role of epigenetics in neural stem cell differentiation, brain development, mental health, and neurodevelopmental disorders including Rett Syndrome. She oversees the “Human Rett Syndrome Brain Bio-Repository Laboratory” at the University of Manitoba, a Canadian site for Human Rett Syndrome post-mortem brain donations from human patients which has been developed via donations arranged through ORSA. Her research has been supported by international and national funding agencies, including International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF), NSERC-DG, Ontario Rett Syndrome Association (ORSA), and CIHR.