The CRC recently welcomed two new regular members: Dr. Luciana Melo Garcia and Prof. Patrick Rochette.
Dr. Melo Garcia is a hematologist-oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, where she also conducts clinical and research activities at the CHU de Québec–Université Laval. A researcher within the Infectious and Immune Diseases axis of the CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Center, she began her scientific career during her internal medicine residency at Université Laval, completing a master’s degree in molecular medicine under the supervision of Dr. Éric Lévesque and Prof. Chantal Guillemette. After a hematology residency at the University of Toronto, she pursued a five-year postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the lab of Dr. Rezvani, a world-renowned expert in cellular therapy. There, she gained advanced expertise in NK cell manipulation and characterization, as well as cutting-edge technologies such as multidimensional cytometry, functional assays, and immunophenotyping. This work led to her PhD in Immunology at Université Laval, completed in 2025, co-supervised by Dr. Frédéric Barabé and Dr. Rezvani. Her research program aims to deepen the understanding of NK cell immunobiology and optimize their in vitro manipulation to improve cell therapies targeting lymphomas.
Prof. Rochette is a full professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Faculty of Medicine and a researcher within the Regenerative Medicine axis of the CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Center, where he has been active since 2009. Specializing in photobiology, he focuses particularly on the molecular consequences of exposure to ultraviolet and blue light. His team conducts research in two main areas: ocular photobiology and cutaneous photobiology. In the skin field, skin cells serve as a model to study protective mechanisms against UV-induced genotoxicity. In the ocular field, his research aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms through which UV light, blue light, and air pollution affect eye health. More specifically, his group seeks to understand how cells protect themselves from the harmful effects of solar radiation to prevent tumor transformation.
The CRC extends a warm welcome to them!