Centre de Recherche du CHUQ-CHUL
Rheumatology and Immunology
Québec Quebec
 

The common theme of the projects in my laboratory is the investigation of neutrophil function in various pathological contexts with the aim of gaining insight into the plasticity of this leukocyte and its contribution  to chronic inflammatory diseases. We investigate the role of the neutrophil in gout and rheumatoid arthritis with a particular focus on the regulation of neutrophil function by the inhibitory receptor CLEC12A. We are also interested in identifying therapeutic targets that can enhance CLEC12A activation to dampen inflammation and improve the quality of life of patients. While neutrophils play a crucial role in the immune response, they can be targeted for therapy without compromising all their defenses and the health of the patient. My laboratory is also developing colchicine analogues that more specifically target neutrophils to treat gout and other chronic inflammatory diseases in which neutrophils play a key role.

While neutrophils can be targeted to dampen inflammation, they can also be used treat disease. Neutrophils are transfused to protect patients from life-threatening infections. My laboratory evaluates the quality of this cell therapy product known as granulocyte concentrates. This is my research and expertise that is directly linked to the cell therapy field. I will thus not only bring a new project to the network on a type of cell therapy that I do not think is currently investigated in the network, but also my expertise in neutrophil biology. We are also developing a cryopreservation technique to freeze granulocyte concentrates with Dr Jason Acker, my collaborator which could also be of interest to the network. My laboratory has molecular and cellular biology expertise, and performs neutrophil in vitro assays as well as studies in mouse models of inflammation.

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