Alumni & former research staff

• Marius Lebret, Ph.D. (2019-2020)
• Benoit Ranchoux, Post-doc (2015-2018)
• Sophie Chabot, M.Sc. (2015-2017)
• Marie Le Guen, Ph.D. (2014-2015)
• Aude Pflieger, Ph.D. (2013-2014)
• Jerôme Vinck, M.Sc. (2013-2014)
• Grégoire Ruffenach, Ph.D. (2013-2016)
• François Potus, Ph.D. (2012-2017)

• Mylène Vaillancourt, M.Sc. (2012-2015)
• Anne-Sophie Neyron, M.Sc. (2011-2014)
• Sébastien Renard, stage post-doctoral (2011-2012)
• Maria Helena Jacob, stage post-doctoral (2010-2012)
• Marjorie Barrier, Ph.D. (2010-2013)
• Audrey Courboulin, Ph.D. (2008-2013)
• Roxane Paulin, Ph.D. (2008-2011)
• Caroline Lambert, M. Sc. (2008-2010)
• Vincent Mainguy, M.Sc. et Ph.D. (2006-2012)

Charlotte, a native of Montpellier (France) has followed an unconventional scientific journey. After completing her high school studies in 2010, she pursued preparatory classes and earned a BTS in Biological and Biotechnological Analysis with aspirations of becoming a veterinarian. She then undertook a Professional Bachelor’s degree in “Physiology and Pathophysiology applied to Pharmacology” at Claude Bernard University in Lyon , combining her studies with a position in pharmaceutical research at Sanofi R&D. After earning a Master’s degree in “Pharmaceutical Sciences applied to Pharmacology” in Strasbourg in 2016, she worked as an in vivo pharmacology engineer at Sensorion Biopharmaceuticals, specializing in inner ear disorders, until 2019.

Throughout these nine years, Charlotte engaged with passionate researchers, many of whom had expertise in cardiovascular and respiratory science. Her interest in these fields deepened during her time at Sanofi, where she worked on a project to evaluate the feasibility of recording cardiovascular and respiratory parameters via external telemetry in non-human primates over a 24-hour period. This experience solidified her ambition to become a researcher in cardiovascular-respiratory sciences. In September 2019, she joined the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension research group in Quebec to pursue a Ph.D. focused on dynamic “bench-to-bedside” research, aiming to improve treatments for patients suffering from this condition.

Victoria graduated with a master’s in Physiology specializing in cardiovascular, metabolic and nutritional regulations in clinical and fundamental research. Her internship at CRNH Rhône Alpes in France focused on the pathology of obesity allowed her to observe and learn the complex and robust nature of clinical research. Between her internship at an HP2 Grenoble laboratory in France studying vascular smooth muscle cell function in normoxia or intermittent hypoxia and at CRIUCPQ studying the interactions between ovarian hormones and corticosterone on cardio-respiratory control, she developed a pronounced taste for fundamental medical research as it aroused her curiosity. She thus decided to pursue a doctorate under the theme of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). She joined the team of Dr. Bonnet and Dr. Provencher in October 2019 to start her doctorate in clinical and biomedical sciences with an original project studying the impact of breast cancer on the penetrance of PAH in individuals with BMPR2 mutations. Looking forward, she plans to embark on a new project focused on the heart in PAH with Dr. Potus.

Keiko Yamamoto completed her Respiratory Internship after obtaining her medical degree in 2011 at Keikyo University, Tokyo in Japan. In 2014, she entered Chiba University to do basic and clinical research on pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, which earned her her PhD degree in 2019. In 2020, Keiko Yamamoto joined the Quebec Pulmonary Hypertension Research Group to continue her research in hypertension.

Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University

Interests:
Pulmonary hypertension, right heart failure, metabolism, chronobiology, inflammation

Yankin is an associate professor specializing in non-coding RNA and in pulmonary hypertension at the Life Science College at Shenzhen University, China. She began her research career on pulmonary hypertension at Shenzhen University in 2015 as a postdoctoral fellow. She has extensive experience in conducting basic experiments and teaching.

From July 2023 to July 2024 she joined the Quebec Pulmonary Hypertension Research Group as a visiting professor under the scientific supervision of Dr Olivier Boucherat. During this period, Yanqin Niu identified several miRNA candidates with potential functions in the pathology of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Additionally, she completed a draft of a review titled “Challenges and Advances in Protein Biomarkers in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.”

After receiving her Scientific License in biochemistry specialty at the Lebanese University, she pursued her Master’s degree in Cardiovascular Pharmacology. During her studies, she carried out a three month course on cardiac rehabilitation, specifically on the training of respiratory muscles in patients with heart failure. This experience allowed her to confirm her interest in this field and to gain a taste for the world of scientific research. Since 2018, she pursued the opportunity to continue her studies and join the Pulmonary Hypertension Research Group as a PhD student. She is working on two separate projects concerning epigenetics in PAH and the paradox of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the disease. Charifa obtains her PhD degree in December 2022.

Émilie completed her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2018. The kinesiologist is the health professional who uses movement for the purposes of prevention, treatment and performance. She then completed a graduate degree in clinical kinesiology where she specialized in pulmonary, cardiac and metabolic rehabilitation. Since 2019, she has been doing her master’s degree in the pulmonary hypertension research group. Émilie is mainly interested in the mechanisms of exercise intolerance in PAH, the potential role that the metabolic syndrome could play in it, as well as rehabilitation through the practice of physical activity in this population. Émilie obtains her master’s degree in 2022.

Mabrouka obtained her doctorate degree in Immunology in 2018 at Université Laval. Her research project focused on the identification and role of an enzyme called “Ectotonucleotidase8 (NTPDase8) in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in humans. This project ended with a patent. Then she continued 2 years of post-doc in the same lab in order to finalize her different research projects. In 2021 she joined the Research Institute as a research professional within the team of Dr. Jamila Chakir. Then in 2022 she joined the pulmonary hypertension research group where she is now responsible for cell culture and the human cell bank. She uses her expertise to develop new cell isolations methods and thus contribute to the advancement of various research projects in the group.

Kana Shimauchi graduated in 2007 from the School of Nursing at the University of Chiba, Japan. She worked as a nurse clinician in the department of surgery at Hyushu Chuou Hospital in Fukuoka (Japan) from 2007 to 2009 and at the Hoshino Institute of Ophthalmology in Nagoya in 2015. In 2019 Kana moved to Quebec and began her career in 2020 as a research assistant in the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension research group.

After obtaining his medical degree, Tsukasa Shimauchi completed anesthesiology and critical care medicine fellowship in Japan. From 2014, He started his career as a basic researcher in the division of cardiocirculatory signaling at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan. His research interest is in cardiomyocytes and hemodynamic control. After obtaining his Ph. D., Tsukasa joined the Pulmonary Hypertension research group at the IUCPQ as a postdoctoral researcher to investigate the mechanism of right ventricular failure induced by pulmonary hypertension.

Tetsuro Yokokawa is a well-trained doctor specialized in cardiovascular diseases who is certified by the Japanese Circulation Society and Japanese Society of Internal Medicine. He has treated many patients with pulmonary hypertension and heart failure in Japan. He also has performed a great deal of pulmonary hypertension and heart failure-related clinical research such as the significance of myocardial tenascin-C expression, exhaled acetone concentrations, circulating acetoacetate levels. He started basic research career in 2018, and his topic was clonal hematopoiesis on vascular diseases. Now, he was inspired by clinical experiences of pulmonary hypertension patients, and he investigate the molecular mechanism of pulmonary hypertension in Quebec. He was specially working on the identification of new biomarkers in PAH patients blood.

Ghada obtained her PhD in Immunology in 2015 at the Pasteur Institute in Tunis (Tunisia). His research project focused on the modulation of the immune response of human macrophages infected with the Leishmania parasite. She then joined the Institut de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ) for a postdoctoral fellowship in the group of Dr. Patrick Mathieu (2015-2018) where she focused her research on the epigenetic regulation of differently expressed genes in the aortic valve of patients with aortic stenosis compared to that of control patients. She then joined the CHU de Québec Research Center to work as a research professional in the group of Dr. Manu Rangachari (2019-2020). In collaboration with a pharmaceutical company, her research project focused on a preclinical study on an animal model of multiple sclerosis. She then joined the pulmonary hypertension research group where she uses her expertise to develop new molecular biology techniques and thus contributes to the advancement of various research projects.

Mark earned a Master degree in Biological Sciences from the Dominican University of California. Having a sustained interest in the curious and interesting nature of basic research, Mark started his scientific career in academia and obtained a position as a laboratory manager in a young start-up team at Stanford University. For seven years Mark was instrumental in the successful launch of Dr Jesus Perez’s laboratory at Stanford. He then decided to join the Pulmonary Hypertension Research Group of Quebec, taking advantage of the opportunity to travel and live in another part of the world while continuing to work as a research professional and administrator. He was responsible for cell culture and protocol development in the laboratory.

Valérie completed her bachelor’s degree in biology at Laval University in 2005. During her undergraduate studies, she had the opportunity to work in the laboratory as an intern at the cancer research center of the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (CRHDQ). This introduction to laboratory research convinced her that she wanted to continue her studies in order to deepen her knowledge. She completed her master’s and doctorate in cellular and molecular biology at the CRHDQ. Her research project focused on the characterization of the role of the ERK/MAPK cell signaling pathway in lung organogenesis and during embryonic development; more specifically in the processes of angiogenesis during the establishment of the blood-placental barrier. Then in 2014, she joined the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) research group as a research professional. She uses her knowledge and expertise to contribute to the advancement of projects led by the group by specializing, among other things, in the field of histology, anatomy and microscopy.

Mélanie completed an internship in 2019 within the pulmonary arterial hypertension research group in order to validate the second year of her medical biology license. She had discovered her interest in fundamental research and molecular biology, and so she decided to pursue a master’s degree in molecular medicine at Laval University after graduating with a degree in experimental analytical biology from Université de Clermont-Ferrand (France) in june 2020. It is with pleasure that she joined Dr. Bonnet’s team again in 2021 to follow her research project on the role of Aurora Kinase B in pulmonary arterial hypertension. In spring 2022 she completed her Master’s degree, and she is now pursuing her career in nursing studies.

Throughout her university studies, Karima specialized in the field of human pathophysiology. After completing a bachelor’s degree in general physiology, she focused her master’s degree in human physiopathology. Her understanding of the mechanisms that cause pathologies in humans has always intrigued her. The field of basic research is for her a stimulating and enriching field in which she wishes to evolve. To date, she has had the opportunity to deepen her knowledge of human pathology such as pulmonary arterial hypertension within the Pulmonary Hypertension Research Group where she completed her work getting her Ph. D. in spring 2021. During her PhD she has specially worked on the implication of EZH2 in the pro-proliferative and apoptosis resistant phenotype of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells in PAH using a transcriptomic and proteomic approach.

Géraldine obtained a bachelor’s degree in life science majoring in cell biology and physiology, and a master’s degree in life therapies and technologies from the University of Paris 13 in France. Throughout her training, she has been interested in DNA damages and cell adaptation to their environment. In 2016, she enthusiastically joined the pulmonary hypertension research group in Quebec under the direction of Dr. Sebastien Bonnet and Dr. Steeve Provencher. As a Ph.D. student under the direction of Dr. Roxane Paulin, Géraldine studies the adaptation of pulmonary artery wall cells facing the stressful environment induced by pulmonary arterial hypertension, especially how they protect their DNA. She has specially worked on the role of NUDT1 and its oxidized DNA precursors cleanup contribution in vascular remodelling.

Since spring 2017, Vicky has been involved in pulmonary vascular research diseases, specifically in venous thromboembolism. She has developed a great interest in research and thus decided to pursue a Master of Science degree in clinical epidemiology concomitantly with her respirology residency under the supervision of Dr Steeve Provencher. She is highly interested in clinical research and has worked on several meta-analysis projects focused on the treatment of venous thromboembolism until the summer 2021.

Wen-Hui Wu is an associate chief physician and associate professor specialized in pulmonary vascular disease in the department of Cardio-pulmonary Circulation, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University, School of Medicine in China. After obtaining her medical degree, she starts her basic and clinical research on pulmonary hypertension in Tongji University and completed her PhD degree in 2013. She has many experiences in the clinical management of patients with pulmonary vascular disease and right heart failure. Meanwhile, she conducted several research projects in these fields, such as the impact of socioeconomic status, estrogen, pituitary–gonadal axis Hormones and BMPR2 mutation. From 2019 to 2021, she joined the Quebec Pulmonary Hypertension Research Group as a visiting professor to investigate the potential therapy targets of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis associated with pulmonary hypertension.

Bachelière en microbiologie de l’Université Laval, Jolyane a effectué un stage dans le laboratoire du Dr. Bonnet pour y découvrir une passion et y poursuivre son cursus dans le cadre de sa maîtrise. Pendant ses études collégiales, Jolyane avait fait des stages de recherche au centre iCAPTURE de Vancouver sur les MPOC. Elle a donc pu parfaire ses connaissances sur une autre maladie pulmonaire qu’est l’HTAP.

Pendant ses études au doctorat, Simon s’est intéressé aux déterminants de l’intolérance à l’effort en HTAP. Il a mis à contribution sa formation en physiologie de l’exercice pour s’attarder à l’impact des anomalies de la circulation musculaire périphérique en HTAP, de la ventilation et de la saturation systémique en oxygène. Le raffinement de des connaissances en physiologie de l’exercice et l’établissement de nouvelles méthodes d’investigation touchant l’incapacité vécue par ces personnes à réaliser un effort physique permettront d’explorer de nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques et ainsi améliorer leur capacité à l’effort et leur qualité de vie.

Après avoir obtenu mon diplôme en Médecine (M.D), Junichi a complété sa médecine interne et son Fellowship en cardiologie au Japon. Durant ces années, il a pratiqué des soins chez des patients atteints d’hypertension pulmonaire. Les diverses interactions avec les patients ont développé sa passion pour la recherche scientifique fondamentale afin d’améliorer les soins apportés chez les patients. En 2013, Junichi a débuté des études doctorales en médecine à l’université Tohoku au Japon.

Cela fait déjà un an que je travaille comme stagiaire de recherche avec le groupe de recherche en hypertension artérielle pulmonaire et c’est avec enthousiasme que j’entreprends la maîtrise en médecine expérimentale. Complétant parallèlement mon doctorat en médecine, je suis convaincue que ce cursus saura m’outiller adéquatement pour faire face à d’éventuels défis, autant en clinique qu’en recherche et fera de moi une clinicienne plus complète et polyvalente encore. En bref, la maîtrise représente pour moi une opportunité de me développer professionnellement ainsi que la possibilité de m’engager encore plus face à mes futurs patients.

Prix/Bourse

2016

• Bourse de recherche en hypertension pulmonaire de la famille Paroian de l’association canadienne de l’hypertension pulmonaire

Titulaire d’un baccalauréat en biologie et d’un certificat en biotechnologie de l’Université Laval, Marie-Claude s’est développée un goût pour la recherche. Ses études lui ont permis de découvrir les différents aspects des sciences de la vie, autant au niveau théorique que pratique. L’opportunité de faire une maîtrise avec la chercheure Roxane Paulin a confirmé son désir de poursuivre dans le domaine de la santé et d’exploiter son grand intérêt pour la biologie moléculaire.