This year, exceptionally, the Emerging Researcher Award was presented to two CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) scientists: Martine Tétreault, a researcher in the Neuroscience research theme since 2018 and Gareth Lim, a researcher in the Cardiometabolic research theme since 2016.

This award celebrates the exceptional scientific contribution of a researcher whose research program has been established for less than ten years.

The official award presentation will take place on April 25, 2025, during the CRCHUM researchers’ retreat.

Decrypting neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases

Martine Tétreault, assistant professor in the Université de Montréal’s Department of neuroscience, has developed a translational research program based on a combination of multiomics and functional genomics approaches to study neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases. Her expertise is currently recognized nationally and internationally.

With 69 articles published, including 23 since 2018, in prestigious reviews such as Brain, The American Journal of Human Genetics, Genomic Medicine and The New England Journal of Medicine, Tétreault’s scientific production is impressive.

These publications have contributed to better diagnosing rare diseases and better understanding the pathological mechanisms of neurological diseases. Early on in her career, the quality of her research projects was evident. Notably, she received the Young Investigators Award from the European Society of Human Genetics in 2016.

Known among her peers for her enthusiasm and passion for translational scientific research, Tétreault is an exemplary contributor to the Research Centre’s functioning. A member of the current Biosecurity committee, she has also participated in the implementation of a highly efficient bioinformatic infrastructure within the organization.

A mentor devoted to the continuity of her work, she’s also dedicated to making her research and knowledge accessible to people living with neurological diseases (Muscular Dystrophy Canada and Ataxis Canada) and to medical geneticists through the American College of Medical Genetics.

Additionally, in 2022, she received the Dr. David Green “Rising Clinician/Researcher” Award from Muscular Dystrophy Canada, for her work and her engagement with her patients.

Emerging Inspiration

Gareth Lim, chairholder of the Canada Research Chair in Adipocyte Development since 2018, and his team are working to better understand how fat cells or adipocytes, a key to obesity, develop, grow and form fat masses.

For example, he discovered that the molecular scaffolding protein, 14-3-3 zeta, plays an essential role in the growth of fat calls. Decoding this protein’s functions and finding methods of targeting it could lead to obesity treatments, and by extension, reduce the risks of developing type 2 diabetes.

Currently, Lim, assistant professor in the Université de Montréal Department of medicine has expanded his research projects to include pancreatic beta cells and drug testing.

His international reputation as an expert in adipocyte biology has earned him an industrial partnership with Inversago Pharma (Novo Nordisk) and has allowed him to collaborate on a regular basis with colleagues internationally, in Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Lim’s status in the international community has allowed him to recruit highly talented international students who have then represented the CRCHUM at many national and international conventions.

In 2022, Lim, a fervent proponent of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in Canadian research environments, organized a conference on the topic with Kirsty Duncan, former federal Minister of Science.

Closer to home, Lim works in Kahnawake, a Mohawk First Nation, specifically the Kahnawà:ke Education Centre, to conduct scientific activities, raise awareness among students in Indigenous communities about research and encouraging them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) fields.