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LAB MEMBERS
From left to right: Romain Devillers, Déborah Argaud, Arnaud Chignon, Valentin Bon-Baret, Patrick Mathieu, Marie-chloé Boulanger et Zhonglin Li.
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Our Team
Patrick Mathieu
Principal investigator |
While studying medicine and doing a master degree in biomedical science at Université de Montreal, I researched into endothelial function and pulmonary circulation. Later I undertook at INSERM in Nantes research into molecular immunology. Back to the Institut de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec, I started my own lab with the objective to study the pathobiology of cardiovascular diseases including heart valve and vascular disorders. I consider myself privileged to lead this research group as its members include highly talented people and their dedication to research as well as their enthusiasm are driving forces of the lab. I believe research to be one of the most rewarding human activity with the endeavor to discover and develop novel therapies. In order to discover pathways involved in disorders, we rely on mapping of genetic data, network analyses, causal inference, functional genomics and control of gene expression, which constitute major topics in the lab.
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Marie-Chloé Boulanger
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I once received two story books. They were children books about the lives and scientific discoveries of Marie Curie and Louis Pasteur. How many times did I read those books? I cannot tell, but what I can say is that the edges were worn out. Many years later, I was an undergraduate student in Montreal, at Concordia University, where I studied cellular and molecular biology. I spent the last year of my bachelor working part-time in a research lab to complete an honours thesis and while learning the basics of cell culture, I became fascinated with the research world. Three days after my last exam as an undergraduate, I started my PhD studies at McGill University working on post-translational modifications. Then, during my post-doctoral studies at Laval University, I worked on signalization and specialized in cell imaging techniques. Thereafter, I started working with Patrick Mathieu’s team. My role in the lab is of two parts : I perform administrative as well as experimental tasks. I strive to counsel graduate students to the best of my knowledges and to guide them in the many techniques they undertake. Working in research demand dedication, but this is rewarded by the satisfaction to be continuously learning and evolving.
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Zhonglin Li
Bio informatic scientist |
I studied bioinformatics and computer science in France. I endorsed bioinformatics because I had a great interest in biology and believed that my computer science skills would be helpful to solve biological problems. My bioinformatics competences allow me to perform a variety of biological analyses and to program applications in many languages. I also master the R language for biostatistics analyses. After graduation, I worked in a biotechnology company to build Next Generation Sequencing data analysis pipelines. I now work at the research center of IUCPQ and perform biological data processing and analyses such as GWAS (Genome-Wide Association Study) and TWAS (Transcriptome-Wide Association Study).
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Déborah Argaud
Research Assistant |
I received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Grenoble University and a master degree from Lille University, in France. During my studies, I worked in a Biotechnology company and completed an eleven months internship at the UMR1011 "Nuclear Receptors, Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes" led by Professor Bart Staels at Lille. These scientific apprenticeships have allowed me to refine my ambitions and contributed greatly to clarify my interest towards the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of the organism’s major functions and the development of human pathologies.
My current research focuses on the interplay between transcription processes, chromatin architecture and histones modifications. Our research contributes to the advancement of basic scientific knowledge and could also impact on the discovery of new therapeutics, an avenue which attracts me particularly. My motivation is to deepen our understanding of how molecular mechanisms contribute to cell identity and how gene networks respond to environmental stimuli. |
Arnaud Chignon
PhD student |
Originally from France, I studied in Nantes where I completed a bachelor’s degree in physiology and cell biology and a master’s degree in biology/biotechnology and therapeutic research. During my studies, I had the opportunity to work on cardiovascular diseases (heart arrythmia, dilated cardiomyopathy and mitral valve prolapse) and cancer (osteosarcoma). I have been a PhD student in molecular medicine with Patrick Mathieu’s team since 2017.
I am using molecular genetic analysis as a tool to understand cardiovascular diseases mechanisms and define potential therapeutic targets. My objective is to establish causality using statistical and functional fine-mapping combined with epigenetic and 3D-genomic approaches in primary cells. I wish to improve our understanding of these diseases and to identify the best potential targets for future pharmacological treatments. |
Valentin Bon-Baret
PhD student |
I achieved a Master’s degree in Biology, Biotechnology and Therapeutic Research at the University of Nantes (France), where I initially come from and where I did the majority of my training. I also performed various internships in public labs in Nantes (l’Institut du Thorax), Poitiers (University Hospital of Poitiers) and at Cardiff University and in private laboratories, such as the cardiovascular research division of Sanofi (Chilly-Mazarin, France). Throughout these internships, I mainly worked on hypertension, heart failure and pharmacology. During these years, I acquired skills in cardiovascular physiology and biochemistry.
Since I was a child, I always felt a strong interest for medicine. At the beginning of my studies, I discovered cardiovascular research and became captivated with this field. Therefore, it was natural to undertake a PhD in molecular medicine. In January 2019, I had the chance to integrate Dr Mathieu’s team to work on genetic variants involved in cardiovascular pathologies. Our work aims for a better understanding of the genetic architecture of these complex diseases. Since my arrival in the lab, I developed new competences in bio informatics analyses, deepened my experimental skills and broaden my scientific knowledge. I wish that some day, our work might contribute to improving cardiovascular diseases treatments. |
Mickael Rosa
Post-doctoral fellow |
I received a Master’s degree in medicinal chemistry from Lille University (France). Then, during my PhD in physiology, pathophysiologie and medical biology, I developed an expertise on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular calcifications. Thereafter, I undertook a journey to Canada to join Dr Mathieu’s team. In the meantime, I studied genomics, epigenetics and cellular mechanisms linking genetics to aortic valve stenosis and other cardiovascular disorders. I recently came back to France to work on the impact of aortic valve stenosis on blood flow disturbance and its molecular consequences on blood cells. Apart from my work on the pathophysiology of aortic stenosis, I still work in close collaboration with Dr Mathieu’s laboratory to better understand the role of genetics on the onset of cardiovascular diseases. Beside being a scientist, I am also a musician. I have been a piano player for 28 years and I write scores for choirs.
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