Dr. Benoit J. Gentil
Dr. Benoit J. Gentil, PhD, is an Associate Professor at McGill University and leads cutting-edge research at the Sylvan Adams Sports Institute (SASSI). He specializes in neuromuscular disorders, notably Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease and Autosomal Recessive Ataxia of Charlevoix–Saguenay, and investigates gene–environment interactions that shape postnatal development and athletic performance.
Dr. Gentil holds a Ph.D of Molecular and Cell Biology from Grenoble University (France), and a diplôme d'études approfondies (MSc) in Human Nutrition and Pathology from Diderot Université (Paris, France). Dr. Gentil is also actively involved in Muscular Dystrophy Canada, as a member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board, and in the Rare disease community. His research focuses on the development of therapeutic approaches targeting the molecular mechanism of diseases. His work has helped to shed light on the underlying mechanisms of Peripheral Neuropathies as well as to contribute to the understanding of genetic factors affecting postnatal development and molecular portraits of athletes.
His SASSI program focuses on how gut microbiota–derived short-chain fatty acids regulate skeletal muscle biology and performance through epigenetic mechanisms, including remodeling of the muscle acetylome and role of genetic variants. Using cellular models, 3D myotube systems, and ex vivo muscle assays, his work links SCFA-driven epigenetic marks to chromatin accessibility, gene expression, Ca2+ dynamics, and anabolic signaling, with translational implications for muscle mass maintenance, mitochondrial function, and endurance. He also embraces an ecological, gene–environment perspective to understand how genetic or epigenetic constraints interact with environment and exercise to shape neuromuscular health.
