Roles and responsibilities
- Section Head of the In vivo Pharmacology Section, leading and managing three Teams (Translational PK/PD, CNS Pharmacology and Preclinical imaging) focused on providing expertise in in vivo pharmacology and preclinical imaging to internal and industrial projects across the Human Health Therapeutics (HHT) Research Center.
- Member of the President's Research Excellence Advisory Committee
Current research and/or projects
- Identification of genes/proteins with critical role in the astroglial-endothelial cell interactions responsible for regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and cell-cell contact during vascular remodeling and angiogenesis,
- Molecular and pharmacological characterization of vascular receptors involved in the control of cerebral blood flow
- Development of tissue-engineered vascular grafts for the replacement of diseased arteries
Currently leading, in collaboration with partners, the development of vascular-targeting therapeutics for the treatment of brain and pancreatic tumors.
Research and/or project statements
- Development of a platform technology consisting of engineered insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP) domains for the treatment of brain cancer.
- Development of single domain antibodies against insulin-like growth factor binding protein-7 (IGFBP7) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
- Identification of molecular markers of tumor vasculature.
- Development of tissue-engineering vascular grafts for replacement of diseased arteries.
Education
- B.Sc. Biology, Complutense University of Madrid , Spain, 1989
- Ph.D. Biology, Autonoma University of Madrid, Spain, 1994
Professional activities/interests
- Member of the “Pharmacology & Toxicology" Committee for the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Transitional Operating Grants
- Member collaborator of the Canadian Glycomis Network
Affiliations
- Society for Neuroscience
- International Society for Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
- North American Vascular Biology Organization (NAVBO)
Awards
- Partnership Award, NRC (2014)
- Intraprenourship/Innovation Award, NRC (2010)
Certification/Licenses/Trades
- Levesque P, Moreno MJ. Automated cell seeding module. US 13/428,594. Licensed to Tissue Growth Technologies (TGT).
Inventions and patents
- Levesque P, Moreno MJ. Automated cell seeding module. US 13/428,594. Licensed to Tissue Growth Technologies (TGT) .
- Stanimirovic D, Abulrob A, Moreno M. Formulations targeting IGFBP7 for diagnosis and therapy of cancer. WO2010043037A1
- Ajji A, Moreno M, Bureau M. Non-woven mat and method of producing for vascular graft applications. WO2008154725A1
- Moreno M. Inhibition of angiogenesis, tumorigenesis and cathepsin activity using insulin-like growth factor binding proteins. WO2008019491 A1.
- Moreno M, Stanimirovic D . Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-4 Compounds and Methods for Inhibiting Angiogenesis and Tumor Growth in Mammalian Cells. WO2006086891A1.
- Villalobo A, Sanchez Torres PJ, Moreno M, Stanimirovic D. Mutants of grb7 and grb7v with angiogenic activity and use thereof in biomedical processes. WO2006032715 A1.
Key publications
- Jia Y, McCluskie MJ, Zhang D, Monette R, Iqbal U, Moreno MJ, Sauvageau J, Williams D, Deschatelets L, Jakubek ZJ, Krishnan L. In vitro evaluation of archaeosome vehicles for transdermal vaccine delivery. J Liposome Res. 2017; 26: 1-10.
- Freitas-Andrade M., Slinn J., Charlebois C., Moreno MJ. Histological Assessment of Angiogenesis in the Hypoxic CNS. In Cerebral Angiogenesis: Methods and Protocols. In: Cerebral Angiogenesis: Methods and Protocols. Milner R. (Ed.) Springer, New York, NY 2014; 1135: 157-75.
- Moreno MJ, Ball M, Rukhlova M, Slinn J, L'abbe D, Iqbal U, Monette R, Hagedorn M, O'Connor-McCourt MD, Durocher Y, Stanimirovic DB. IGFBP-4 Anti-Angiogenic and Anti-Tumorigenic Effects Are Associated with Anti-Cathepsin B Activity. Neoplasia. 2013. 15(5): 554-67.
- Bowen CV, DeBay D, Ewart HS, Gallant P, Gormley S, Ilenchuk TT, Iqbal U, Lutes T, Martina M, Mealing G, Merkley N, Sperker S, Moreno MJ, Rice C, Syvitski RT, Stewart JM. In vivo detection of human TRPV6-rich tumors with anti-cancer peptides derived from soricidin. PLoS One. 2013; 8(3):e58866.
- Noel S, Liberelle B, Yogi A, Moreno MJ, Bureau MN, Robitaille L and De Crescenzo G. A non-damaging chemical amination protocol for poly(ethylene terephthalate) – application to the design of functionalized compliant vascular grafts. J. Mater. Chem. B. 2013; 1 :230-238.
- Freitas-Andrade M, Carmeliet P, Charlebois C, Stanimirovic DB, Moreno MJ. PlGF knockout delays brain vessel growth and maturation upon systemic hypoxic challenge. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2012; 32(4): 663-75.
- Mohebbi D., Ajji A., Rukhlova M., Bureau M.A., Moreno MJ. Novel Automated Cell Seeding Device for Tissue Engineering of Tubular Scaffolds: Design and Functional Validation. 2011. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2012. 6(9): 710–720.
- Moreno MJ., Ajji A., Mohebbi D., Rukhlova M., Hadjizadeh A., Bureau M. Development of a Compliant and Cytocompatible Micro-Fibrous Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Vascular Scaffold. 2011. J Biomed Mater Res: Part B; 97(2): 201-14.
- Dimitrievska S, Maire M, Diaz-Quijada GA, Robitaille L, Ajji A, Yahia L, Moreno MJ, Merhi Y, Bureau MN. Low Thrombogenicity Coating of Nonwoven PET Fiber Structures for Vascular Grafts. Macromol Biosci. 2011. 11(4): 493-502.
- Lindhout T., Iqbal U., Willis L., Reid A., Li J., Liu X., Moreno MJ., Wakarchuk W. Site Specific Enzymatic Polysialylation of Therapeutic Proteins Using Bacterial Enzymes. 2011. 108(18): 7397-402.
- Pen A., Stanimirovic D., Moreno MJ. Tumor Angiogenesis: Cell-Microenvironment Interactions; In Cancer Systems Biology, Chapman & Hall/CRC Mathematical and Computational Biology Series, 2010: 60-64.
International experience and/or work
1994 - 1998
Adjunct Professor, School of Physiotherapy, O.N.C.E. Autonoma University of Madrid, Spain.
Maria Moreno
Senior Research Officer
Human Health Therapeutics
1200 Montreal Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6
Preferred language: English
Other(s): English, Spanish, French
Telephone: 613-990-0829
Email: Maria.Moreno@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
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Expertise
Health, Cancer, Neurosciences, Pharmacokinetics/Dynamics, Pharmacology