As seen on the cover of Pain Magazine
Our Story
In 2016, Reza was on an airplane, reading the in-flight magazine, when he came across an article describing the invasion of the lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico as well as the fish’s excruciatingly painful sting. Having worked on a Texas coral snake venom in the past, and mostly being a curious scientist, he checked the literature to see if anyone had figured out exactly how this venom works to cause pain, but his search came up empty.
Fast forward to 2017, when he proposed a project to a student in his lab, Stephanie: figure out how lionfish venom causes pain. She accepted the challenge, and they managed to make a major breakthrough that they published in a paper in 2018, which was the cover of the November issue of the scientific, peer-reviewed journal PAIN, outlining exactly what kind of pain lionfish venom causes, what pain-sensing cells it targets, and began to uncover its mechanism of action.
Since then, they have identified the molecule that the venom targets on pain-sensing cells’ surface, and have found ways to block the pain the venom causes. With this information in tow, they knew they had to create a cure that could help the large number of people each year that are stung by lionfish. Dedicated to their cause, and determined to ensure that this cure works well in humans, they were even their first human test subjects (but more on that another time).
Now, their work in the lab focuses on isolating the specific toxin in the venom that is responsible for causing pain, as well as understanding how certain species of fish (like moray eels and sharks) are able to eat lionfish. By understanding the evolution of the venom, as well as resistance mechanisms to the venom, they hope to better understand how this venom can be used for good.
In 2016, Reza was on an airplane, reading the in-flight magazine, when he came across an article describing the invasion of the lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico as well as the fish’s excruciatingly painful sting. Having worked on a Texas coral snake venom in the past, and mostly being a curious scientist, he checked the literature to see if anyone had figured out exactly how this venom works to cause pain, but his search came up empty.
Fast forward to 2017, when he proposed a project to a student in his lab, Stephanie: figure out how lionfish venom causes pain. She accepted the challenge, and they managed to make a major breakthrough that they published in a paper in 2018, which was the cover of the November issue of the scientific, peer-reviewed journal PAIN, outlining exactly what kind of pain lionfish venom causes, what pain-sensing cells it targets, and began to uncover its mechanism of action.
Since then, they have identified the molecule that the venom targets on pain-sensing cells’ surface, and have found ways to block the pain the venom causes. With this information in tow, they knew they had to create a cure that could help the large number of people each year that are stung by lionfish. Dedicated to their cause, and determined to ensure that this cure works well in humans, they were even their first human test subjects (but more on that another time).
Now, their work in the lab focuses on isolating the specific toxin in the venom that is responsible for causing pain, as well as understanding how certain species of fish (like moray eels and sharks) are able to eat lionfish. By understanding the evolution of the venom, as well as resistance mechanisms to the venom, they hope to better understand how this venom can be used for good.
Our Team
Stephanie Mouchbahani-Constance
CEO
Stephanie completed her BSc in Physiology at McGill University and is now a PhD Candidate at McGill University. She is the recipient of the prestigious Vanier Scholarship from the Canadian Institute for Health Research and is one of 3 Canadians invited to attend the 2020 Lindau Nobel Laureate Conference. For the past 3 years, her PhD research has focused on studying lionfish venom to understand how it causes so much pain on a molecular level.
Dr. Reza Sharif-Naeini
PRESIDENT
Reza has been studying pain for over 18 years. He is an Associate Professor at McGill University, where he’s been running a pain research lab for 8 years. After obtaining his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University de Montreal, he received an M.Sc. in Psychiatry and PhD in Physiology from McGill University. He then completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Institute de Pharmacologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire in France and at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) before starting his own lab at McGill.
Stephanie Mouchbahani-Constance
Dr. Reza Sharif-Naeini
CEO
Stephanie completed her BSc in Physiology at McGill University and is now a PhD Candidate at McGill University. She is the recipient of the prestigious Vanier Scholarship from the Canadian Institute for Health Research and is one of 3 Canadians invited to attend the 2020 Lindau Nobel Laureate Conference. For the past 3 years, her PhD research has focused on studying lionfish venom to understand how it causes so much pain on a molecular level.
PRESIDENT
Reza has been studying pain for over 18 years. He is an Associate Professor at McGill University, where he’s been running a pain research lab for 8 years. After obtaining his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University de Montreal, he received an M.Sc. in Psychiatry and PhD in Physiology from McGill University. He then completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Institute de Pharmacologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire in France and at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) before starting his own lab at McGill.
Stephanie Mouchbahani-Constance
Dr. Reza Sharif-Naeini
CEO
Stephanie completed her BSc in Physiology at McGill University and is now a PhD Candidate at McGill University. She is the recipient of the prestigious Vanier Scholarship from the Canadian Institute for Health Research and is one of 3 Canadians invited to attend the 2020 Lindau Nobel Laureate Conference. For the past 3 years, her PhD research has focused on studying lionfish venom to understand how it causes so much pain on a molecular level.
PRESIDENT
Reza has been studying pain for over 18 years. He is an Associate Professor at McGill University, where he’s been running a pain research lab for 8 years. After obtaining his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University de Montreal, he received an M.Sc. in Psychiatry and PhD in Physiology from McGill University. He then completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Institute de Pharmacologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire in France and at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) before starting his own lab at McGill.
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