Assistant professor
Department of Molecular Medicine
Faculty of Medicine

Prof. Michael Shum was trained in the laboratories of Prof. Nicole Gallo-Payet at the University of Sherbrooke where he obtained his Master’s degree in 2011 followed by his doctorate in the laboratory of Prof. André Marette from Université Laval in 2016. The objective of his work was to study the signaling pathways associated with the activation of the Angiotensin type 2 receptor (AT2R) and the mTORC1/S6K, RSK pathway in insulin resistance, obesity and glucose and lipid metabolism. Following his graduate studies, Prof. Shum joined the laboratories of Prof. Marc Liesa and Prof. Orian Shirihai at UCLA in California. From 2016 to 2021, Prof. Shum studied how mitochondria adapt in metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. In particular, he worked on a mitochondrial protein called ABCB10 (ATP-binding cassette B10), a transporter whose substrate was still unknown at the time. Recently, Prof. Shum’s postdoctoral work identified the first molecule exported from the mitochondria by ABCB10, biliverdin, and uncovered a new mitochondrial antioxidant system. Furthermore, they showed that ABCB10 and this new antioxidant system contributed to the development of diabetes. In 2021, Prof. Shum was recruited as a Researcher at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Université Laval.

Research Interests:
The mitochondria is a central organelle in several metabolic diseases such as diabetes, Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) but also in immune and kidney diseases, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Indeed, the mitochondria regulate the energy metabolism of cells by using sugars, proteins and lipids. However, it is much more than an energy powerhouse, because it adapts and coordinates several signals in response to different stressors. Prof. Shum’s laboratory research interests focus on better understanding how mitochondria adapt to metabolic syndrome. Indeed, during the development of diabetes, significant reprogramming of mitochondria and intracellular signaling occurs.

Among these reprogramming mechanisms, Prof. Shum is interested in the interaction between mitochondria and lipid droplets as a central hub of intracellular signaling regulating the fate of lipids. His laboratory is also interested in mitochondrial changes linked to a new antioxidant system regulated by the ABCB10 protein in inflammation associated with diabetes.

Understanding the interactions between the mitochondria and other cellular organelles, as well as the regulation of intracellular signals originating from the mitochondria regulating inflammation will allow the identification of new therapeutic targets to combat diabetes and other diseases. metabolic diseases