Bio / Publications from Lab

Dr. Melina Messing is a postdoctoral fellow investigating how immune and metabolic pathways interact to influence the progression of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Her work focuses on uncovering how targeted nutritional interventions modulate inflammation and cyst growth, with the goal of translating these promising non-pharmacological strategies into clinical practice, where they are still underutilized. As a PKD patient herself, she brings a unique perspective to her research, driven by both scientific curiosity and personal experience.

Research

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Guinto E, Chopra S, Kuo IC, Shin SB, Messing M, Cheung CY, Yang JS, Gerayeli FV, Yip W, Milne S, Eddy RL, Leung JM, McNagny KM, Sin DD. Integration of mass cytometry and single-cell RNA-sequencing of cells in bronchoalveolar lavage. Biotechniques. 2025 May 19;:1-12.

Messing M, Theret M, Hughes MR, Wu J, Syed OH, Li FF, Li Y, Rossi FMV, McNagny KM. Type-2 innate signals are dispensable for skeletal muscle regeneration and pathology linked to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. EMBO Rep. 2025 Mar;26(5):1406-1421.

Messing M, Torres JA, Holznecht N, Weimbs T. Trigger Warning: How Modern Diet, Lifestyle, and Environment Pull the Trigger on Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Progression. Nutrients. 2024 Sep 27;16(19).

Messing M, Gatti DM, Mashhouri S, Nantel S, Sultana S, Westhaver LP, Patel KD, Marshall AJ, Haeryfar SMM, Jenne CN, Abraham N, Melichar HJ, McNagny KM, Valdez Tejeira Y. A Retrospective Analysis of Leadership, Awardees, and Member Gender Representation of the Canadian Society for Immunology. J Immunol. 2024 Apr 15;212(8):1257-1267.

Mashhouri S, Nantel S, Sultana S, Gatti D, Westhaver LP, Messing M, McNagny KM, Jenne CN, Melichar HJ, Valdez Tejeira Y, Nersesian S. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Canadian immunology: communication and complexity. Immunol Cell Biol. 2023 Jul;101(6):473-478.

Theret M, Messing M, White Z, Wei T, Rempel L, Hamer M, Hashimoto J, Li F, Brassard J, Yicong L, Sauge E, Shin S, Day K, Uppal M, Low M, Eisner C, Sato S, Akira S, Hughes M, Pascal B, McNagny K, Rossi F. Mesenchymal Progenitors set the homeostatic inflammatory milieu via the TAK1-NFkB axis. [preprint]. Cell Stem Cell [Revisions Requested] 2022 December. doi: 10.1101/2022.12.11.519940.

Messing M, Sekhon MS, Hughes MR, Stukas S, Hoiland RL, Cooper J, Ahmed N, Hamer MS, Li Y, Shin SB, Tung LW, Wellington CL, Sin DD, Leslie KB, McNagny KM. Prognostic peripheral blood biomarkers at ICU admission predict COVID-19 clinical outcomes. Front Immunol. 2022;13:1010216.

Theret M, Rempel L, Hashimoto J, Ritso M, Tung LW, Li FF, Messing M, Hughes M, McNagny K, Rossi F. Elevated numbers of infiltrating eosinophils accelerate the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy pathology in mdx mice. Development. 2022 Apr 15;149(8)

Lu HY, Sertori R, Contreras AV, Hamer M, Messing M, Del Bel KL, Lopez-Rangel E, Chan ES, Rehmus W, Milner JD, McNagny KM, Lehman A, Wiest DL, Turvey SE. A Novel Germline Heterozygous BCL11B Variant Causing Severe Atopic Disease and Immune Dysregulation. Front Immunol. 2021;12:788278.

Cait A, Messing M, Cait J, Canals Hernaez D, McNagny K. Antibiotic Treatment in an Animal Model of Inflammatory Lung Disease. Methods in Molecular Biology. New York, NY: Springer US; 2021. Chapter 19; 281-293p. 

Shin SB, Lo BC, Ghaedi M, Scott RW, Li Y, Messing M, Hernaez DC, Cait J, Murakami T, Hughes MR, Leslie KB, Underhill TM, Takei F, McNagny KM. Abortive γδTCR rearrangements suggest ILC2s are derived from T-cell precursors. Blood Adv. 2020 Nov 10;4(21):5362-5372.

Messing M, Jan-Abu SC, McNagny K. Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells: Central Players in a Recurring Theme of Repair and Regeneration. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Feb 17;21(4).

Lo BC, Shin SB, Messing M, McNagny KM. Chronic Salmonella Infection Induced Intestinal Fibrosis. J Vis Exp. 2019 Sep 22;(151). doi: 10.3791/60068. PubMed PMID: 31589208.