Stephanie Marie Duguez

Dr

  • Northlands Road, Magee Campus

    BT48 7JL Londonderry

    United Kingdom

Calculated based on number of publications stored in Pure and citations from Scopus
20012023

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Dr Duguez was awarded her PhD on “muscle cell biology and metabolism” at Jean Monnet University (Saint Etienne, France), during which time she was an Associate Lecturer. She was then appointed as a post-doctoral Research Fellow working on Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy type 2A, at Genethon (Evry, France), following which she took up a Research Associate position on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at Children’s National Medical Center (Washington, US), before being appointed as a Project leader at the Institute of Myology (Paris, France).

She was appointed to her current post as Lecturer in Stratified Medicine in 2016, where she leads Ulster University’s research group on Neuromuscular Health. 

Research Interests

RESEARCH

Career development

Dr Duguez has been committed to neuromuscular research since her PhD at Jean Monnet University on muscle cell metabolism, and Research Fellowship on Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy at Genethon (France). As a Research Associate at Children’s National Medical Center (US), she pioneered exploration of the role of muscle vesicles in neuromuscular disease. Determined to develop this theme further, upon returning to France as a Project Leader at the Institute of Myology (Paris), and learning of Prof PF Pradat’s interest in the potential role of muscle in ALS, she proposed to extract myoblasts from patient biopsies and characterize their secretory vesicles. 

Her research group at Ulster University is now composed of biologists and bioinformaticians and explores the intercellular communication between muscle tissue and surrounding cells, including motor neurons, inflammatory cells and fibroblasts. They are using human muscle stem cells and studying their secretome profiles by different OMICS approaches such as proteomic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses. The aim is to decipher the role of intercellular communication in different physiological and pathological conditions such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (SBMA), and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA-III & IV). Characterizing the muscle secretome will allow us to identify biomarkers and to unravel new therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative disorders. 

Her work on muscle vesicles is bolstered by an international network of collaborators including: clinicians (Paris, London, ‘Derry/Londonderry, Belfast), biopharma (Belfast), researchers on murine models (Marseilles, London, Strasbourg, Keele), on cellular models (Evry), on metabolomics (Tours), and on muscle transcriptomic (Washington DC, Strasbourg) and proteomics (Washington DC). 

In order to explore the muscle cellular functions in different physiological and pathological context, her group secured a biobank of primary muscle cells from healthy subjects and from different patient and age groups. In addition, and in collaboration with neurologist colleagues her group has put in place Northern Ireland Motor Neuron Disease Biobank.

Research publications and communication

Dr Duguez has an h-index of 20, from 37 peer-reviewed publications and over 1200 citations (see scopus link). Dr Duguez has been invited or selected as a speaker at over 19 international conferences (ARSLA, MDA, WMS). 

 Honors

  • 2019    Awarded most novel poster and best initiative, Rare Disease Day, Belfast, UK
  • 2017    Awarded most novel poster (PhD researcher presentation), EAPM congress, Belfast, UK
  • 2016    Awarded most novel presentation (PhD researcher presentation), ArSLA conference, Paris, France
  • 2014    Awarded most novel poster, FASEB muscle stem cell, Steamboat, Colorado

 

ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

External Representation

  • Journal of Personalized Medicine, Editor (2021– )
  • Northern Ireland Rare Diseases Partnership (NIRDP) Board Member (2019– )
  • NI Biobank for Motor Neuron Disease Committee (2021– )
  • Irish Society of Human Genetics (ISHG) board Member (2021- )

 Professional Membership

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders (SCWD) Member (2021- )
  • World Muscle Society (WMS) Member (2018-2020)

Invited Reviewer:

  • For International Journals including: EMBO Molecular Medicine; Cell Reports; eLife; Ageing Research Review; Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle; FASEB J; PlosOne; American Journal of Pathology, Differentiation; Stem Cell Journal; Journal of Neurological Sciences; Scientific Reports; JoVE; Frontiers in Neurology; Frontiers in Neuroscience; International Journal of Molecular Sciences; Cells; Antioxidants; Journal of Personalized Medicine.
  • For Funding bodies including: ANR; BBSRC; MRC; AFM; NSERC Genes, Cells and Molecules

 

PUBLIC OUTREACH & CIVIC CONTRIBUTION

Dr Duguez is dedicated to the “Rare Diseases” field. She is a board member of the Northern Ireland Rare Disease Partnership (NIRDP), board composed of careers, patients, clinicians, and researchers. Within NIRDP, Dr Duguez aims to raise awareness for rare diseases via teaching harmonization across Ireland, but also via other activities such as organising rare diseases walks, giving talks to schools. Dr Duguez is also involved in Northern Ireland Rare Diseases Implementation Group (NIRDIG).

Dr Duguez has also contributed to well-received output in the RTE Brainstorm as well as in France Television “Allo Docteur” program and a number of other initiatives promoting Public Engagement in Science. 

 

Teaching Interests

Dr Duguez contributes to teaching on a number of on-campus and distance-learning undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Biomedical Sciences at Ulster University. She is module co-ordinator at BSc level and contributes to other modules at BSc, PgCert and MSc level:

  • Study Skills: Delivers lecture
  • BIO122: Anatomy and Systems Based Physiology; Delivers Lectures & Tutorials.
  • BIO349: Cellular and Molecular Pathophysiology; Designed the module, Module Coordinator, Delivers Lectures Tutorials and Practical.
  • BIO354: Ethics, Regulatory Process and Clinical Trial Design. Dr Duguez developed the Clinical Trial component of this module, Delivers Lectures, Tutorials and Practical.
  • BIO536: Clinical Trials Design and Patient Recruitment. Designed the Module, Module Coordinator, Delivers Lectures and Tutorials.
  • BIO542: Stratified Medicine & Healthcare Innovation. Designed the Module, Module Coordinator, Delivers Lectures and Practical.
  • BIO537: Stratified Medicine Disease Case Study. Supervising final year student (Hons) literature projects
  • BIO540: Clinical Research Project (Desk based/Hospital based). Supervising final year student (Hons) projects.
  • BMS505: Investigative Project. Supervising final year student (Hons) projects.
  • BMS809: MSC Research project. Assessing student projects at MSc level.
  • BIO839: Supervising student projects at PgCert and MSc level.

PhD Researcher Profile

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects:

Dr Duguez is open to wide-ranging PhD applications from candidates with a cellular and molecular science or clinical background. Her fields of interest include: 

  • Molecular mechanisms in neuromuscular and neurodegenerative conditions 
  • Biomarkers and personalized therapeutic strategies for neuromuscular and neurodegenerative conditions
  • Muscle ageing and Muscle wasting
  • Multi-omic analysis and Bioinformatic

Current and Recent Grants

Since joining Ulster in 2016, Dr Duguez’ has been or is the lead PI on 5 competitively funded projects,and is recently co-I on a further 3 projects, bringing total income generated to £1,093,522, with £484,775 for her group.

These awards have all been obtained on the research theme: vesicles in neuromuscular disease.

Funders: ABN, ArSLA, IICN, Target ALS.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

Education/Academic qualification

Unknown, PhD, Stimulation de la biogénèse mitochondriale lors de la régénération musculaire : implication fonctionnelle in-vitro, Universite Jean Monnet

1 Sept 199913 Oct 2003

Award Date: 13 Oct 2003

Unknown, Master, MRes: Biogenese mitochondrial au cours de la regeneration musculaire in vivo, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1

1 Sept 199730 Jun 1998

Award Date: 30 Jun 1998

External positions

BBSRC Pool of Experts, BBSRC

25 Jan 202231 Mar 2025

Board of Northern Ireland Rare Diseases Implementation Group , Belfast: Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

24 May 2021 → …

Member of the board Irish Society of Human Genetics, Irish Society of Human Genetics

21 Apr 2021 → …

Board Director Northern Ireland Rare Disease Partnership, Northern Ireland Rare Disease Partnership

1 Nov 2018 → …

Keywords

  • Q Science (General)
  • Neuromuscular Disorders
  • Neurodegeneration
  • Skeletal Muscle
  • Motor Neuron Diseases
  • MND
  • DMD
  • Dystrophynopathies
  • Muscle Wasting
  • Healthy Ageing
  • Bioinformatic
  • Epigenetics
  • DNA Methylation
  • Genomics
  • Transcriptomics

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