Dr. Mellissa Mann


Children’s Health Research Institute
Scientist, Molecular Genetics Program


Lawson Health Research Institute
Scientist, Children's Health Research Institute


University of Western Ontario
Assistant Professor, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Biochemistry


Contact Information
Tel: (519) 685-8500 Ext. 55648
Fax: (519) 685-8186
E-mail: mmann22@uwo.ca

Website: http://publish.uwo.ca/~mmann22


Brief Biography

Dr. Mellissa Mann received both her Bachelor of Science degree in Honors Genetics in 1987 and her Master in Science degree in 1990 from The University of Western Ontario. She then pursued her doctorate in Dr. Susannah Varmuza's laboratory at the University of Toronto. Upon completion of her PhD, she trained in Dr. Marisa Bartolomei's laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Fellow and was awarded a Lalor Foundation Fellowship for two consecutive years.

 

Dr. Mann became an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Biochemistry at The University of Western Ontario, and a Scientist at the Children’s Health Research Institute in 2005.  Dr. Mann has received a CIHR Institute of Gender and Health/Ontario Women’s Health Council New Investigator in 2006. She has also been awarded a March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Award, a CFI/MRI New Opportunity Grant, a MRI Early Researcher Award, and operating grants from CIHR and NSERC.


Research Interests

• Genomic Imprinting
• Epigenetics
• Embryonic, Fetal and Placental Development
• Developmental Programming


Research Activities

Evidence suggests that children conceived with Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) may develop genetic disorders. This may be related to the fact that the timing of ART usage coincides with crucial regulatory events during oocyte (unfertilized egg cell) growth and early embryo development.  Dr. Mellissa Mann and her team are investigating the ART procedures of superovulation (drug-induced production of multiple eggs) and in vitro embryo culture in a mouse model system to determine their effects on genomic imprinting and development, which are the bases for successful implantation, placental development and fetal growth.  Additional investigations focus on identifying the molecules involved in regulating genomic imprinting during embryonic and fetal development.  This research will provide the biologic basis for treatment of human infertility by ARTs and potential implications to achievement of normal fetal growth.

 

Awards and Recognition

New Investigator Award in support of "Molecular Analysis of Genomic Imprint Maintenance During Embryogenesis" - Awarded by Ontario Women’s Health Council/CIHR Institute of Gender and Health

 

Academic Enrichment Fund in support of "Characterization of the role of the Kcnq1ot1 non-coding RNA in imprinted gene regulation" - Awarded by University of Western Ontario

 

Funding in support of "Functional Genomic Screen for Epigenetic Modifiers of Genomic Imprinting" - Awarded by Wighton/Perinatal Fund/Lawson Health Research Institute

 

Funding in support of "Molecular Analysis of Genomic Imprint Maintenance During Embryogenesis" - Awarded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research

 

Early Researcher Award in support of "Assisted Reproduction: Molecular and Developmental Effects of In Vitro Embryo Culture" - Awarded by Ministry of Research and Innovation

 

Funding in support of "Identification and Evolutionary Comparison of Imprinting Centers" - Awarded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

 

Publications

  1. Cirio, MC, Martel, J, Mann, M, Toppings,M, Bartolomei, M, Trasler, J, and Chaillet, JR, 2008, DNA methyltransferase 1o functions at a critical time during development to preclude a profound level of epigenetic variation, Developmental Biology, in press.
  2. Kuzmin, K, Han, Z, Golding, MC, Mann, MRW, Latham, KE, and Varmuza, S, 2007, The PcG Gene Sfmbt2 is Paternally Expressed in Extraembryonic Tissues, Gene Expression Patterns 8:107-116
  3. Weksberg, R, Shuman, C, Wilkins-Haug, L, Mann, M, Stewart, D, Croughan, M, Rakowsky, C, Leader, A, Hall, J, Friedman, JM, Simpson, JL, Holmes, L, Infante-Rivard, C, 2007, Workshop Report: Evaluation of Genetic and Epigenetic Risks Associated with Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Infertility. Journal of Fertility and Sterility 88:27-31
  4. Maatouk, DM, Kellam, LD, Mann, MRW, Lei, H, Li, E, Bartolomei, MS and Resnick, JL, 2006, DNA methylation is the primary mechanism of silencing postmigratory primordial germ cell genes in both germ and somatic cell lineages. Development 133:3411-3418
  5. Rodenhiser D, Mann MRW. (2006). Epigenetics and Human Disease: causes, consequences and cures. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 174:in press.
  6. Mann MRW (2005). Imprinting and epigenetics in mouse models and embryogenesis: understanding the requirement for both parental genomes. Encyclopedia of Genetics, Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics. Eds Jorde, LB, Little, PFR, Dunn MJ, and Subramaniam, S, Wiley & Sons, England, pp1-10.
  7. Nolen LD, Gao S, Han Z, Mann MRW, Chung YG, Otte AP, Bartolomei MS, Latham KE. (2005). X Chromosome Reactivation and Regulation in Cloned Embryos. Developmental Biology. 279:525-540.
  8. Mann MRW, Lee SS, Doherty AS, Verona RI, Nolen LD, Schultz RM, Bartolomei MS. (2004). Selective loss of imprinting in the placenta following preimplantation development in culture. Development. 131:3727-3735.
  9. Lucifero D, Mann MRW, Bartolomei MS, Trasler JM. (2004). Gene-specific timing and epigenetic memory in oocyte imprinting. Human Molecular Genetics. 13:839-849.
  10. Verona RI, Mann MRW, Bartolomei MS. (2003). Genomic Imprinting: Intricacies of epigenetic regulation in clusters. Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology. 19:237-259.
  11. Mann MRW*, Chung YG*, Nolen LD, Verona RI, Latham KE, Bartolomei MS. (2003). Disruption of imprinted gene methylation and expression in cloned preimplantation stage mouse embryos. Biology of Reproduction. 69:902-914. *co-first authors.
  12. Mann MRW, Bartolomei MS. (2002). Epigenetic reprogramming in the mammalian embryo: struggle of the clones. Genome Biology. 3:REVIEWS 1003.
  13. Mann MRW, Bartolomei MS (2000). Maintaining imprinting. Nature Genetics. 25:4-5.
  14. Doherty AS, Mann MRW, Tremblay KD, Bartolomei MS, Schultz RM. (2000). Differential effects of culture on imprinted H19 expression in the preimplantation mouse embryo. Biology of Reproduction. 62:1526-1535.