Serge McGraw, PhD

Associate Professor, Deputy Head of the Foetomaternal and Neonatal Pathologies Axis, University of Montreal

Address

Research interests

  • Embryonic development
  • Prenatal Exposure to alcohol
  • Epigenetic modifications and disturbance

The Developmental Epigenetics and Neurodevelopment Lab.

Our lab explores the role of epigenetic dysregulation in developmental and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Epigenetic modifications are chemical tags added to DNA or the proteins (histones) that compact and organize it. These modifications help regulate gene activity, turning genes on or off during specific stages of development, without altering the underlying DNA sequence. During embryonic development, cells follow complex programs controlled by dynamic changes in these epigenetic marks. Disruptions in this embryonic epigenetic programming can increase vulnerability to developmental and neurodevelopmental disorders.

 

Serge McGraw’s research program investigates how early epigenetic disruptions lead to such disorders, with three main focus areas:

  1. How inherited epigenetic errors affect early embryonic development.
  2. How epigenetic errors in brain cells contribute to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
  3. How mutations in epigenetic genes (e.g., DNMT3A) disrupt brain cell identity and function in overgrowth and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Tatton-Brown-Rahman Syndrome (TBRS).

 

Using genetic and environmental models, including mouse embryos, mouse embryonic stem cells, patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), neurons, and 3D cortical organoids, as well as multi-omics sequencing and bioinformatic approaches, our work examines both normal and disrupted epigenetic processes to uncover the mechanisms underlying (neuro)developmental disorders in children. We study how early disruptions in brain-related epigenetic programs can alter cell fate, affect cellular development and function, and lead to neurodevelopmental disorders. Our research aims to pave the way for targeted epigenetic therapies to treat these brain disorders.

Members of the laboratory

Charlotte Le Monies de Sagazan
MSc student
charlotte.le.monies.de.sagazan@umontreal.ca

Josianne Clavel
PhD student
josianne.clavel@umontreal.ca

Michelle Robb
MSc student
michelle.robb@umontreal.ca

Elizabeth Elder, MSc
PhD student
elder.elizabeth@icloud.com

Diego Arturo Camacho Hernandez
MSc student
diego.arturo.camacho.hernandez@umontreal.ca

Carlos Michel Mourra Diaz
MSc student
carlos.michel.mourra.diaz@umontreal.ca

Karine Doiron, PhD
Research Associate, Lab manager
karine.doiron@umontreal.ca

Thomas Dupas PhD
Postdoc
thomasdupas.pro@gmail.com

Anthony Lemieux
Bioinformatician
anthony.lemieux@umontreal.ca

Publications

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