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Testimonials

Dear donors, administrators and volunteers of the Fondation Canadienne Louis Pasteur,

I would like to thank the Fondation Canadienne Louis Pasteur as well as all of the volunteers who administrate the distribution of the post-doctoral fellowship awards.

As a recipient of a fellowship from the FCLP I was afforded the opportunity to continue the pursuit of my scientific career at the world-renowned Institut Pasteur in Paris. This experience has enriched many facets of both my professional and personal life.

Specifically, as a member of UTRAF led by Dr. Chiara Zurzolo I have been able to expand my repertoire of techniques in biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology. Furthermore, I had the pleasure of participating in a diversity of projects concerning the biology of prion diseases as well as the trafficking of glycoslylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins. During the tenure of this award I have shared authorship in three publications including a review article in Trends in Cell Biology and a research article in the Journal of Biological Chemistry representing ongoing work that I initiated in the laboratory from which I received my doctoral degree. Additionally, I participated in a paper produced by our laboratory at the Institut Pasteur recently published in Nature Cell Biology concerning the intercellular trafficking of prions that has been well received by the scientific community as the subject of numerous reviews in Nature, Nature Cell Biology and Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. Currently, I am staying on in Dr. Zurzolo's laboratory for a further five months to finish work on the role of autophagy in the cellular response to prion infection.

In addition to my laboratory work I have had the opportunity to participate in a number of conferences and attend lectures by world-class scientists including Nobel laureates. I have also made many international scientific contacts with whom I foresee the possibility of forging productive future collaborations.

Personally, I have been exposed to the rich cultural atmosphere that Paris has to offer. As a Canadian anglophone it has been a goal of mine since I was young to attain a proficiency in the French language that was not possible to achieve within the public school system. Since arriving in Paris I have taken three French courses and have been immersed in the language as a necessity and as a pleasure of day-to-day life in France. Although not perfect, my ability to communicate in French has been much improved by this experience. I have also had the opportunity to visit a number of countries in Europe, exposing me to some of the diverse cultures thriving on this continent.

In sum, I would like to express my gratitude to the Fondation Canadienne Louis Pasteur and its donors for generously providing me with the means to live in Paris and undertake research at the Institut Pasteur. Furthermore, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the volunteers, past and present, without whom such an opportunity would not be possible.

- Dr. Duncan T. Browman

How you at the Foundation volunteer your time and energy to the Foundation's interests helped to inspire me to start a not-for-profit think tank institute with other scientists from different organizations, such as the University of Wisconsin, the University of British Columbia, the BC Cancer Agency and some biotech companies. The goal is to help improve human health by improving the way in which science is carried out, managed and led. The project is only in its very early stages, but I hope we will make some good progress in establishing the institute this year.

- Dr. Nancy Lee, Vancouver, BC

Je suis le Dr Emmanuel Moreau et je poursuis actuellement un stage post-doctoral dans le laboratoire d'immuno-virologie du Dr Alain Lamarre de l'INRS-IAF. C'est un très grand honneur de voir renouvelée la bourse post-doctorale Fondation Pasteur Canada/Fondation Armand-Frappier qui m'avait été attribuée l'année dernière.

Mon projet consiste à caractériser l'activité du virus de l'hépatite C (HCV) sur les cellules du système immunitaire. Un des enjeux majeurs dans la lutte contre HCV est de comprendre pourquoi certains patients parviennent à contrôler et éliminer le virus alors que la grande majorité (80% des cas) développe une infection chronique qui mène à des pathologies telles que des carcinomes hépatocellulaires ou des cirrhoses du foie.

Nous cherchons à définir si le virus est capable d'interférer avec l'activité de différentes populations cellulaires (lymphocytes, cellules dendritiques, monocytes), ce qui lui permettrait de moduler à la baisse la réponse immune et ainsi d'inhiber le développement d'une réponse antivirale adaptée. Nous essayons aussi de voir si la co-culture de cellules infectées avec des populations lymphocytaires naïves augmente la transmission du virus par contact cellulaire.

Les résultats obtenus devraient nous permettre d'apporter des éclaircissements concernant l'interaction virus-hôte aux étapes précoces de l'infection, stade critique de la mise en place d'une réponse immune efficace neutralisante.

Je vous remercie encore de la contribution apportée par la Fondation Pasteur Canada à mon projet et j'aurai la joie de vous rencontrer à nouveau lors de la remise des bourses le 1er octobre à l'Institut Armand-Frappier.

- Emmanuel Moreau, PhD.