Mahnaz Nazari

Scholarships:

• 2025 Bell Family Pediatric PH Research Scholarship

• 2024 Bell Family Pediatric PH Research Scholarship

Sinclair Centre for Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa hospital research institute (OHRI), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario  

Under the supervision of: Dr. Bernard Thébaud

About Mahnaz Nazari

Mahnaz is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, working in Dr. Bernard Thébaud's laboratory. She earned her Bachelor’s in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Alzahra University, Iran, in 2016. During her graduate studies, she conducted cutting-edge research focused on facilitating granulopoiesis in leukemic patients using platelet extracellular vesicles (EVs), which led to her Master’s in Laboratory Hematology and Blood Banking from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2020. With an unwavering commitment to advancing regenerative medicine she joined Dr. Thébaud's laboratory in September 2021 to pursue her PhD. Currently her research is dedicated to developing treatments for extremely premature babies suffering from pulmonary hypertension (PH). Her preliminary studies have shown promising results, demonstrating the therapeutic efficacy of cell-based therapy in a novel neonatal lung injury mouse model. The ultimate goal of her research is to develop a cell-free, off-the-shelf product with the potential for clinical trials, offering new hope to premature infants with PH. 

Projects:

Investigating the therapeutic potential of endothelial progenitor cell-based therapy for neonatal pulmonary hypertension

Extreme preterm birth complications, including neonatal pulmonary hypertension (PH), are the main cause of death in children under 5. In babies with neonatal PH, the loss of blood vessels forces the right side of the heart to work harder and grow larger. This doubles the risk of death, and unfortunately, no cure exists for neonatal PH. Our lab is working to change this. We previously found that blood from the human umbilical cord (hUCB), normally discarded at birth, contains special cells called endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs), which can build new blood vessels. We also found that ECFCs in the lungs of babies and rats are impaired when exposed to high oxygen level, which are often needed in neonatal care. Encouragingly, we showed that hUCB-ECFCs help newborn mice grow more lung vessels and prevent PH. We are now testing a new type of reprogrammed stem cell derived vasculogenic progenitor cells which behaves like hUCB-ECFCs but can be produced in unlimited supply. We showed that these cells improved blood vessel growth and reduced PH in mice, showing promise as a regenerative approach for babies with this life-threatening condition.

Cell-Based Therapies for Pulmonary Hypertension in Premature Infants with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Extreme prematurity, occurring before 28 weeks of gestation, significantly increases the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease. Approximately 25-30% of BPD infants develop pulmonary hypertension (PH), doubling their risk of death. My PhD project explores cell-based therapies for BPD-PH using umbilical cord blood (UCB)-derived endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived vasculogenic progenitor cells (VPCs), along with their extracellular vesicles (EVs). These experiments, conducted with advanced techniques and animal models, aim to provide critical pre-clinical data for clinical translation. Collaborations with experts and the use of technologies like multiplexed scRNAseq will support a pre-CTA application to Health Canada, paving the way for a Phase I trial to assess the safety and feasibility of these therapies in neonatal PH, ultimately benefiting vulnerable newborns and aligning with PHA Canada’s mission.