Emanuela Pannia

Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children
Postdoc Fellowship Funding Recipient
Research Interests: neuromuscular disorders, nutrition, genetics, gene x environment, metabolism, early life programming, translational models
LinkedIn profileBiography
Dr. Emanuela Pannia completed her undergraduate training in Behaviour, Genetics and Neurobiology (Dr. Robert Gerlai) and her PhD in Nutritional Sciences (Dr. Harvey Anderson) at The University of Toronto (2016-2021). During her PhD, she conducted pioneering research that showed excess intakes of methyl nutrients to be in utero modifiers of central (brain) and peripheral (muscle and liver) energy regulatory pathways predicting later-life health and disease risks. In parallel to her graduate training, she worked at the Zebrafish Core Facility at The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Canada), which is directed and co-founded by Dr. Jim Dowling. Here, she collaborated to create zebrafish models that accurately model a wide range of neuromuscular diseases. She is currently a first-year Post-doc in Dr. Jim Dowling’s lab in the Department of Genetics & Genomic Biology at SickKids. Her project focus is on determining the environmental and genetic modifiers of liver dysfunction in X-linked myotubular myopathy using various translational models; with the overall goal of developing personalized therapeutic options to protect against this devastating disease consequence.
Dr. Pannia is one of the recipients of the NMD4C and MDC postdoctoral research fellowships for 2022, where her research will involve determining the molecular mechanisms and environmental modifiers of progressive liver disease in X-linked myotubular myopathy.
Recent Publications
Priestley, JRC, Deshwar, AR, Murthy, H, D'Agostino, MD, Dupuis, L, Gangaram, B et al.. Monoallelic Loss of Function BMP2 Variants Result in BMP2-Related Skeletal Dysplasia Spectrum. Genet Med. 2023. 100863 PMID:37125634
Simonian, R, Pannia, E, Hammoud, R, Noche, RR, Cui, X, Kranenburg, E et al.. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase deficiency and high-dose FA supplementation disrupt embryonic development of energy balance and metabolic homeostasis in zebrafish. Hum Mol Genet. 2023.32 (9)1575-1588 PMID:36637428
Volpatti, JR, Ghahramani-Seno, MM, Mansat, M, Sabha, N, Sarikaya, E, Goodman, SJ et al.. X-linked myotubular myopathy is associated with epigenetic alterations and is ameliorated by HDAC inhibition. Acta Neuropathol. 2022.144 (3)537-563 PMID:35844027
Sarikaya, E, Sabha, N, Volpatti, J, Pannia, E, Maani, N, Gonorazky, HD et al.. Natural history of a mouse model of X-linked myotubular myopathy. Dis Model Mech. 2022.15 (7) PMID:35694952
Pannia, E, Hammoud, R, Simonian, R, Kubant, R, Anderson, GH. Folate dose and form during pregnancy may program maternal and fetal health and disease risk. Nutr Rev. 2022.80 (11)2178-2197 PMID:35442434
Pannia, E, Hammoud, R, Kubant, R, Sa, JY, Simonian, R, Wasek, B et al.. High Intakes of [6S]-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid Compared with Folic Acid during Pregnancy Programs Central and Peripheral Mechanisms Favouring Increased Food Intake and Body Weight of Mature Female Offspring. Nutrients. 2021.13 (5) PMID:33925570
Hammoud, R, Pannia, E, Kubant, R, Metherel, A, Simonian, R, Pausova, Z et al.. High Choline Intake during Pregnancy Reduces Characteristics of the Metabolic Syndrome in Male Wistar Rat Offspring Fed a High Fat But Not a Normal Fat Post-Weaning Diet. Nutrients. 2021.13 (5) PMID:33923230
Hammoud, R, Pannia, E, Kubant, R, Wasek, B, Bottiglieri, T, Malysheva, OV et al.. Choline and Folic Acid in Diets Consumed during Pregnancy Interact to Program Food Intake and Metabolic Regulation of Male Wistar Rat Offspring. J Nutr. 2021.151 (4)857-865 PMID:33561219
Pannia, E, Hammoud, R, Simonian, R, Arning, E, Ashcraft, P, Wasek, B et al.. [6S]-5-Methyltetrahydrofolic Acid and Folic Acid Pregnancy Diets Differentially Program Metabolic Phenotype and Hypothalamic Gene Expression of Wistar Rat Dams Post-Birth. Nutrients. 2020.13 (1) PMID:33375730
Pannia, E, Yang, NV, Ho, M, Chatterjee, D, Hammoud, R, Kubant, R et al.. Folic acid content of diet during pregnancy determines post-birth re-set of metabolism in Wistar rat dams. J Nutr Biochem. 2020.83 108414 PMID:32544644
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