Department of Medical Neuroscience

Faculty of Medicine

Yacine Touahri

Assistant Professor

Touahri_Yacine_headshot-2
Department of Medical Neuroscience , Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

Email: yacine.touahri@dal.ca
Research Topics:
  • Regenerative neuroscience
  • Retina/Vision
  • Cell fate specification
  • Transcriptional regulation

Education

  • BSc (Science and technology University Algiers)
  • MSc (Universite Toulouse III)
  • PhD (Universite Toulouse III)
  • Post-doctoral Fellowship (University of Calgary)
  • Post-doctoral Fellowship (University of Toronto

Research Interest

Dr. Yacine Touahri’s research investigates the transcriptional mechanisms that govern retinal development and regeneration, with a particular focus on pathways relevant to glaucoma. His laboratory studies the molecular programs that maintain mammalian Müller glia in a quiescent, non regenerative state and prevent them from replacing retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the neurons that degenerate in glaucoma. In parallel, his group examines the transcriptional networks that direct RGC specification from retinal progenitor cells during development. By integrating developmental biology, transcriptional regulation, and regenerative science, Dr. Touahri’s work aims to identify molecular strategies that could ultimately support neuroprotection or regeneration in glaucomatous eyes.

Selected Publications

  • Touahri Y, David LA, Ilnytskyy Y, van Oosten E, Hanna J, Tachibana N, Adnani L, Zhao X, Hoffman M, Dixit R, Paulisch M, Journot L, Enzmann V, Kovalchuk I, Sauve Y, Biernaskie J, Schuurmans C. Plagl1 regulates the retinal progenitor cell to Müller glial cell transition. PLOS Genetics. 2026. PMID: 41849358
  • Hanna J*, Touahri Y*, Pak A, David LA, van Oosten E, Dixit R, Vecchio LM, Aubert I, Schuurmans C. Pten loss in retinal progenitor cells or in rods triggers progressive photoreceptor differentiation phenotype. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2025 Mar 21;66(3):45. doi: 10.1167/iovs.66.3.45. *Co-first author
  • Hanna J, Touahri Y, Pak A, Belfiore L, van Oosten E, David LA, Han S, Ilnytskyy Y, Kovalchuk I, Kurrasch D, Okawa S, del Sol A, Screaton RA, Aubert I, Schuurmans C. 2025. Glycolytic flux regulates retinal progenitor cell fate choice via intracellular pH-mediated control of WNT signaling. eLife. 2025 Jun 17;13:RP100604. doi: 10.7554/eLife.100604.PMID: 40526494  
  • Touahri Y, Hanna J, Tachibana N, Dixit R, David LA, Olender T, van Oosten E, Prokopchuk O, Cantrup R, Mattar P, Murshed M, Mains P, Cayouette M, Brand M, Reese B, Schuurmans C. 2024. Pten controls amacrine cell positioning in the radial and tangential planes via extracellular vesicles. Cell Reports Mar 27;43(4):114005. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114005. PMID: 38551961.
  • Touahri Y, Dixit R, Kofoed RH, Miloska K, Park E, Raeisossadati R, Markham-Coultes K, David LA, Rijal H, Zhao J, Lynch M, Hynynen K, Aubert I, Schuurmans C. 2020. Focused ultrasound as a novel strategy for noninvasive gene delivery to retinal Müller glia. Theranostics. 2020 Feb 10;10(7):2982-2999. doi: 10.7150/thno.42611. eCollection 2020. PMID:32194850
  • Tachibana N*, Touahri Y*, Dixit R, David LA, Adnani L, Cantrup R, Aavani T, Wong RO, Logan CC, Kurek K, Schuurmans C. 2018. Hamartoma-like lesions in the mouse retina: an animal model of Pten hamartoma tumour syndrome. Disease Models and Mechanisms. 
  • Touahri Y, David LA, Ilnytskyy Y, van Oosten E, Hanna J, Tachibana N, Adnani L, Zhao X, Hoffman M, Dixit R, Paulisch M, Journot L, Enzmann V, Kovalchuk I, Sauve Y, Biernaskie J, Schuurmans C. Plagl1 regulates the retinal progenitor cell to Müller glial cell transition. PLOS Genetics. 2026. PMID: 41849358
  • Hanna J*, Touahri Y*, Pak A, David LA, van Oosten E, Dixit R, Vecchio LM, Aubert I, Schuurmans C. Pten loss in retinal progenitor cells or in rods triggers progressive photoreceptor differentiation phenotype. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2025 Mar 21;66(3):45. doi: 10.1167/iovs.66.3.45. *Co-first author
  • Hanna J, Touahri Y, Pak A, Belfiore L, van Oosten E, David LA, Han S, Ilnytskyy Y, Kovalchuk I, Kurrasch D, Okawa S, del Sol A, Screaton RA, Aubert I, Schuurmans C. 2025. Glycolytic flux regulates retinal progenitor cell fate choice via intracellular pH-mediated control of WNT signaling. eLife. 2025 Jun 17;13:RP100604. doi: 10.7554/eLife.100604.PMID: 40526494  
  • Touahri Y, Hanna J, Tachibana N, Dixit R, David LA, Olender T, van Oosten E, Prokopchuk O, Cantrup R, Mattar P, Murshed M, Mains P, Cayouette M, Brand M, Reese B, Schuurmans C. 2024. Pten controls amacrine cell positioning in the radial and tangential planes via extracellular vesicles. Cell Reports Mar 27;43(4):114005. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114005. PMID: 38551961.
  • Touahri Y, Dixit R, Kofoed RH, Miloska K, Park E, Raeisossadati R, Markham-Coultes K, David LA, Rijal H, Zhao J, Lynch M, Hynynen K, Aubert I, Schuurmans C. 2020. Focused ultrasound as a novel strategy for noninvasive gene delivery to retinal Müller glia. Theranostics. 2020 Feb 10;10(7):2982-2999. doi: 10.7150/thno.42611. eCollection 2020. PMID:32194850
  • Tachibana N*, Touahri Y*, Dixit R, David LA, Adnani L, Cantrup R, Aavani T, Wong RO, Logan CC, Kurek K, Schuurmans C. 2018. Hamartoma-like lesions in the mouse retina: an animal model of Pten hamartoma tumour syndrome. Disease Models and Mechanisms. 2018 May 21;11(5). pii: dmm031005. doi: 10.1242/dmm.031005. PMID: 29716894.  *Co-first author May 21;11(5). pii: dmm031005. doi: 10.1242/dmm.031005. PMID: 29716894.  *Co-first author