Supervisor

Matthew Pamenter, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Matt received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (2003-2008), where he studied neural mechanisms of anoxia-tolerance in turtle brain in the Buck lab. He then travelled to California to undertake a postdoctoral fellowship in the Haddad lab at UCSD (2008-2012), where he studied mechanisms of ischemic cell death in mammalian stroke models. In 2012, Matt began a second postdoctoral fellowship, split between the Powell lab at UCSD and the Milsom lab at UBC (2012-2015), studying neural plasticity in the hypoxic ventilatory response of rodents, including the naked mole rat.
Matt is broadly interested in how hypoxia-tolerant animals have evolved to survive in low-oxygen environments. His primary focus is on the underlying neural mechanisms of hypoxia-tolerance, with a specific interest in how brain cells survive with little to no oxygen and how neural networks control physiological responses to hypoxia.
Lab Members

Mo Ojaghi
Ph.D. Student (2019- )

Liam Eaton
Ph.D. Student (2018- )
Publications: Eaton L, Welch I, Halal AK, Bengtsson J and Pamenter ME (2023). Apocynin reduces dihydroethidium fluorescence in naked mole-rat cortex independently of NADPH oxidase. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.
Eaton L, Wang T, Roy M, and Pamenter ME (2022). Naked mole-rat cortex maintains reactive oxygen species homeostasis during in vitro hypoxia or ischemia and reperfusion. Current Neuropharmacology.
Eaton L and Pamenter ME (2022). Is NADPH critical to maintain redox homeostasis in hypoxia-tolerant naked mole-rat brain? Reactive Oxygen Species.
Hadj-Moussa H, Eaton L, Cheng H, Pamenter ME and Storey KB (2022). Naked mole-rats resist the accumulation of hypoxia-induced oxidative damage. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A..
Eaton L and Pamenter ME (2022). What to do with low O2: redox adaptations in vertebrates native to hypoxic environments. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.
D’Alessio S, Cheng H, Eaton L, Kraev I, Pamenter ME and Lange S (2022). Acute hypoxia alters extracellular vesicle signatures and the brain citrusllinome of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber). International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Ingelson-Filpula WA, Cheng H, Eaton L, Pamenter ME and Storey KB (2022). Small RNA sequencing in hypoxic naked mole-rat hearts suggests microRNA regulation of RNA- and translation-related processes. FEBS Letters.

Karen Kadamani
Honours B.Sc. Student (2019-2020); Ph.D. Student (2020- )

Maiah Devereaux
Honours B.Sc. Student (2018-2019); M.Sc. Student (2019- )
Publications: Devereaux MEM, Silva Rubio C, Van Breukelen F and Pamenter ME (2023). Physiological responses to hypoxia are constrained by environmental temperature in heterothermic tenrecs. Journal of Experimental Biology.

Nathalie Marks de Chabris
B.Sc. Student
Publications: Marks de Chabris NC, Sabir S, Perkins G, Cheng H, Ellisman MH and Pamenter ME (2023). Acute hypoxia does not alter mitochondrial abundance in naked mole-rats. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.

Bogdan Tirca
B.Sc. Student

Michael Qi
B.Sc. Student

Abdul Karim Halal
B.Sc. Student
Publications: Eaton L, Welch I, Halal AK, Bengtsson J and Pamenter ME (2023). Apocynin reduces dihydroethidium fluorescence in naked mole-rat cortex independently of NADPH oxidase. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.

John Bengtsson
B.Sc. Student
Publications: Eaton L, Welch I, Halal AK, Bengtsson J and Pamenter ME (2023). Apocynin reduces dihydroethidium fluorescence in naked mole-rat cortex independently of NADPH oxidase. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.
Lab Alumni

Hang Cheng
Ph.D. Student (2018-2023 )
Publications: Marks de Chabris NC, Sabir S, Perkins G, Cheng H, Ellisman MH and Pamenter ME (2023). Acute hypoxia does not alter mitochondrial abundance in naked mole-rats. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.
Cheng H, Qin Y, Dhillon R, Dowell J, Denu JM and Pamenter ME (2022). Metabolomic analysis of carbohydrate and amino acid changes induced by hypoxia in naked mole-rat brain and liver. Metabolites.
Ingelson-Filpula WA, Cheng H, Eaton L, Pamenter ME and Storey KB (2022). Small RNA sequencing in hypoxic naked mole-rat hearts suggests microRNA regulation of RNA- and translation-related processes. FEBS Letters.
Hadj-Moussa H, Eaton L, Cheng H, Pamenter ME and Storey KB (2022). Naked mole-rats resist the accumulation of hypoxia-induced oxidative damage. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.
D’Alessio S, Cheng H, Eaton L, Kraev I, Pamenter ME and Lange S (2022). Acute hypoxia alters extracellular vesicle signatures and the brain citrusllinome of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber). International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Huynh K, Sabir S, Cheng H and Pamenter ME (2022). Acute pH alterations do not impact cardiac mitochondrial respiration in naked mole-rats or mice. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.
Cheng H and Pamenter (2022). Supermole-rat to the rescue: does the naked mole-rat offer a panacea for all that ails us? Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.

Sidney Abar
Honours B.Sc. Student (2021-2022)

Isabella Welch
Honours B.Sc. Student
Publications: Eaton L, Welch I, Halal AK, Bengtsson J and Pamenter ME (2023). Apocynin reduces dihydroethidium fluorescence in naked mole-rat cortex independently of NADPH oxidase. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.

Jaina Patel
B.Sc. Student

Bivaz Jaffer
Honours B.Sc. Student (2021-2022)

Soulene Sabir
UROP awardee (2021-2022)
Publications: Marks de Chabris NC, Sabir S, Perkins G, Cheng H, Ellisman MH and Pamenter ME (2023). Acute hypoxia does not alter mitochondrial abundance in naked mole-rats. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.
Huynh K, Sabir S, Cheng H and Pamenter ME (2022). Acute pH alterations do not impact cardiac mitochondrial respiration in naked mole-rats or mice. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.

Katia Hughes
NSERC USRA awardee (2021)

Kenny Huynh
UROP awardee; NSERC USRA awardee; Honours B.Sc. Student (2018-2021)
Publications: Huynh K, Sabir S, Cheng H and Pamenter ME (2022). Acute pH alterations do not impact cardiac mitochondrial respiration in naked mole-rats or mice. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A.
Huynh K and Pamenter ME (2022). Lactate inhibits naked mole-rat cardiac mitochondrial respiration. Journal of Comparative Physiology B.

Kate Brennan
Honours B.Sc. Student (2020-2021)

Maria Roy
Honours B.Sc. Student (2019-2020)
Publications: Eaton L, Wang T, Roy M, and Pamenter ME (2022). Naked mole-rat cortex maintains reactive oxygen species homeostasis during in vitro hypoxia or ischemia and reperfusion. Current Neuropharmacology.

Sarah Chiasson
Honours B.Sc. Student (2019-2020)

Daniel Munro, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-2019)
Pamenter ME and Munro D (2019), Longevity or hypoxia: who’s driving? Aging-US

Chau Nguyen
NSERC USRA awardee; Co-op work placement; B.Sc. Student (2016-2019)
Project title: Exploring the contribution of heat shock protein to the hypoxia-tolerance of the naked mole-rat
Publications: Al-attar R, Childers CL, Nguyen VC, Pamenter ME and Storey KB (2020). Differential protein phosphorylation is responsible for hypoxia-induced regulation of the Akt/mTOR pathway in naked mole-rats. Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry.

Samantha Torne
Honours B.Sc. Student (2018-2019)

Tina Wang
Honours B.Sc. Student (2018-2019)
Project title: Naked mole-rat neurons control reactive nitrogen species production during reperfusion following hypoxia or ischemia.
Publications: Eaton L, Wang T, Roy M, and Pamenter ME (2022). Naked mole-rat cortex maintains reactive oxygen species homeostasis during in vitro hypoxia or ischemia and reperfusion. Current Neuropharmacology.

Salome Cadrin-Aubin
Honours B.Sc. Student (2018-2019)
Project title: Vascular adaptations in muscle to exercise / work in hypoxia in 6 species
of African mole rats.

Lisa Borecky
M.Sc. Student (2015-2018)
Project title: Hypoxia inducible factor and the control of hypoxic ventilatory and metabolic responses in Mus Musculus and heterocephalus glaber.
Borecky LG and Pamenter ME (2017). Oxygen sensing and transcriptional regulation of adaptive hypoxic responses. In: Chemosensory sensors and systems: evolutionary significance biological effects, and new insights. New York, USA: Nova Science (M. Brandt, ed.).

Cécile Baldy, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-2018)
Pamenter ME and Baldy C. (2017). Chronic intermittent hypoxia contributes to sleep-disordered breathing in infants and adults. Berlin, GER: Avid Science. (S. Ravini, ed.).

Amanda Zhu-Pawlowsky
B.Sc. Student (Summer 2018)
Project title: Exploring the role of a moisture-mediated body temperature cooling strategy in hypoxic naked mole rats

Sarah Zhang
NSERC USRA awardee; Honours B.Sc. Student (2017-2018)
Project title: Hypercapnic ventilatory and metabolic responses in the fossorial Damaraland mole rat: a whole-body and mechanistic perspective

Travis Branigan
Honours B.Sc. Student (2017-2018)
Project title: Behavioural Responses to Environmental Hypercapnia in Damaraland Mole Rats (Fukomys damarensis)

Nikita Malholtra
B.Sc. Student (2017-2018)
Project title: Thermal adaptations to acute hypoxia in naked mole rats

Amanda Vandewint
Honours B.Sc. Student (2017-2018)
Project title: Exploring the role of a moisture-mediated body temperature cooling strategy in hypoxic naked mole rats

Lewis Han
UROP awardee (2017-2018)

Alexia Kirby
B.Sc. Student (2015-2016); M.Sc. Student (2016-2018)
Project title: metabolic adaptations to acute hypoxia in naked mole rats.
Max Clayson
Honours B.Sc. Student (2016-2017)
Project title: The role of carbonic anhydrase in modulating metabolic and ventilatory responses to hypercapnia in naked mole-rats
Chelsea Houlahan
Honours B.Sc. Student (2016-2017)
Project title: The effects of hypoxia on the behavioural and thermoregulatory huddling responses of the naked mole rat
Sulaf Elkhalifa
Honours B.Sc. Student (2016-2017)
Project title: Behavioural and thermal responses to hypercapnia in naked mole-rats

Aaron Ilacqua
Honours B.Sc. Student (2015-2016)
Project title: Behavioural and thermal responses of individual naked mole rats to environmental hypoxia within their thermoneutral zone
Garrett Fairman
NSERC USRA awardee (summer 2016)

Sharn Gill
B.Sc. Student (2015-2016)
Project title: Exploring the role of glutamatergic receptors in the control of ventilatory responses to acute and chronic hypoxia in naked mole rats