Hadla Hariri
Hadla Hariri is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences at McGill University and an investigator at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada. Her research program investigates how the bone marrow microenvironment regulates skeletal development, bone homeostasis, and blood cell production, with a particular focus on bone marrow adipocytes (BMAds).
Her laboratory combines genetic models, advanced imaging, molecular profiling, and translational studies to define the physiological functions of BMAds and the mechanisms through which they communicate with skeletal and hematopoietic cells. Her research seeks to understand how BMAd-derived signals regulate bone mass and strength, hematopoiesis, and the cellular organization of the bone marrow niche.
By integrating fundamental and clinical research, Dr. Hariri's program aims to determine how alterations in marrow adiposity contribute to skeletal and blood disorders and to identify mechanisms that may ultimately inform new approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
Prospective Students
Master’s and PhD students interested in joining the laboratory are welcome to apply. Prospective students should send their CV/resume, letter of intent (1 page max), and most recent diploma to hadla.hariri [at] mcgill.ca.
Lab contact
Hariri Laboratory – Research Laboratory 7
Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada
1003 Décarie Boulevard
Montreal, Quebec H4A 0A9
Email: hadla.hariri [at] mcgill.ca
Postdoctoral Fellow, Adipose Tissue Biology and Physiology
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
Postdoctoral Fellow, Bone Biology and Skeletal Metabolism
McGill University & Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada, Montréal, Canada
PhD, Human Genetics
McGill University, Montréal, Canada, 2020
MSc, Cell and Molecular Biology
American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, 2014
BSc, Biochemistry
Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon, 2011
- Bone biology
- Bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT)
- Bone marrow microenvironment
Mori, H.#, Hariri, H.#, Moe, W., Durham, S., Guzman, Y., Paulsson, E., Simmermon, R. C., Bhanderi, P. B., Peterson, S. K., Dickson, M. J., Evans, C. R., & MacDougald, O. A. (2026). Adaptation of white adipocytes to cooler temperatures: Impacts on energy metabolism and protein acetylation. The FASEB Journal. #Co-first authors.
Maung, J. N., Schill, R. L., Nishii, A., Foss de Freitas, M., Obua, B. N., Nygård, M., Mendez-Casillas, M. D., Hermsmeyer, I. D. K., Gilio, D., Besci, O., Chen, Y., Desrosiers, B., Adler, R. E., Gomes, A. D., Celik Guler, M., Mori, H., Uranga, R. M., Li, Z., Hariri, H., Zhang, L., de Paula Souza, A., Hoose, K. S., Lewis, K. T., Hetrick, T. A., Cederna, P., Lumeng, C. N., Mandrup, S., Oral, E. A., & MacDougald, O. A. (2026). Altered lipid metabolism and inflammatory programs associate with adipocyte loss in familial partial lipodystrophy 2. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 136(1), e198387. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI198387
Maung, J. N., Chen, Y., Hoose, K. S., Adler, R. E., Hariri, H., Dickson, M. J., Hetrick, T. A., Ferguson, G. A., Schill, R. L., Mori, H., Uranga, R. M., Lewis, K. T., Hermsmeyer, I. D. K., Gilio, D., de Solis, C., Toliver, A., Davidsohn, N., Oral, E. A., & MacDougald, O. A. (2025). Effects of FGF21, soluble TGFBR2, and environmental temperature on metabolic dysfunction in lipodystrophic mice. JCI Insight.
Schill, R. L., Visser, J., Ashby, M. L., Li, Z., Lewis, K. T., Morales-Hernandez, A., Hoose, K. S., Maung, J. N., Uranga, R. M., Hariri, H., Hermsmeyer, I. D. K., Mori, H., & MacDougald, O. A. (2024). Deficiency of glucocorticoid receptor in bone marrow adipocytes has mild effects on bone and hematopoiesis but does not influence expansion of marrow adiposity with caloric restriction. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 15, 1397081. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2024.1397081
Hariri, H., Kose, O., Bezdjian, A., Daniel, S. J., & St-Arnaud, R. (2023). USP53 regulates bone homeostasis by controlling RANKL expression in osteoblasts and bone marrow adipocytes. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 38(4), 578–596. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.4778
Hariri, H., & St-Arnaud, R. (2021). Expression and role of ubiquitin-specific peptidases in osteoblasts. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(14), 7746. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22147746
Hariri, H., Addison, W. N., & St-Arnaud, R. (2021). Ubiquitin specific peptidase Usp53 regulates osteoblast versus adipocyte lineage commitment. Scientific Reports, 11, 8418. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87608-x
Hariri, H., Pellicelli, M., & St-Arnaud, R. (2020). Nfil3, a target of the NACA transcriptional coregulator, affects osteoblast and osteocyte gene expression differentially. Bone, 141, 115624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2020.115624
Hariri, H., Kurban, M., Al-Haddad, C., Fahed, A. C., Poladian, S., Khalil, A., Abbas, O., Arabi, M., Bitar, F., & Nemer, G. (2018). Degenerated hair follicle cells and partial loss of sebaceous and eccrine glands in a familial case of Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome: An emerging role for the FOXC1/NFATC1 genetic axis. Journal of Dermatological Science, 92(3), 237–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdermsci.2018.11.003
Pellicelli, M., Hariri, H., Miller, J. A., & St-Arnaud, R. (2018). Lrp6 is a target of the PTH-activated αNAC transcriptional coregulator. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1861(2), 61–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagrm.2018.01.008
Khalil, A., Al-Haddad, C., Hariri, H., Shibbani, K., Bitar, F., Kurban, M., Nemer, G., & Arabi, M. (2017). A novel mutation in FOXC1 in a Lebanese family with congenital heart disease and anterior segment dysgenesis: Potential roles for NFATC1 and DPT in the phenotypic variations. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 4, 58. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2017.00058
Kassab, K.#, Hariri, H.#, Gharibeh, L., Fahed, A. C., Zein, M., El-Rassy, I., Nemer, M., El-Rassi, I., Bitar, F., & Nemer, G. (2016). GATA5 mutation homozygosity linked to a double outlet right ventricle phenotype in a Lebanese patient. Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine, 4(2), 160–171. https://doi.org/10.1002/mgg3.190. #Co-first authors.