SBolducStéphane Bolduc, M.D.

Researcher Clinician,
Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale de l’Université Laval/ LOEX
CHU de Québec Research Center-Université Laval
Associate Professor,
Department of Surgery within the Faculty of Medicine of Université Laval

 List of publications (external link)

 

Dr. Stéphane Bolduc’s Urology team was established when he returned from a fellowship in pediatric urology at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He had previously done his residency in urology at Université Laval. His team began to work on the current project upon his return to Quebec City. Reconstructing urological tissue by tissue engineering is an innovative research field. With the energetic support of Drs. Auger and Germain through a start-up funding provided by the LOEX in 2003-4, he has developed the necessary expertise in tissue engineering with the collaboration of many experienced members of the LOEX. Martine Magnan, a dynamic and independent student completing a Master’s degree gave a kick-start to what became a productive decade. Actually, she became the eldest of the group and once graduated, she held the position of Research Assistant for 4 years. The project has progressed significantly by the development of methods for extraction and isolation of different bladder cell types.
The first grant was received from the Canadian Kidney Foundation in 2005, followed by a CIHR grant in 2006, guaranteeing support for 3 years. Dr. Bolduc received the clinician Junior 1 Investigator Award in 2005 and Junior 2 in 2007 due to the excellent progress in his work. He also won a grant from the CFI leaders opportunity fund in 2008 for the purchase of precision instruments, necessary for projects. The CIHR has supported his research program since 2006 in a field with very few researchers, despite a major need. His team is in high gear with his work arousing great interest wherever it is presented. Each of his students publishes in highly rated journals and they have won various awards. This positive wave also involves residents in Urology (Émilie Perron on the first bladder model by self-assembly, Annie Imbeault on the urethra and tunica albuginea projects, Michel Bureau on cancer projects and ketamine, etc).
Some noteworthy highlights of the urology team history: the first publication of the urethra model in 2009, the arrival of Sara Bouhout for her Master's and PhD degrees (graduation 2015), the contribution of Valérie Cattan (Dr Auger's post-doctoral fellow) on the finest in vitro reconstructed urothelium ever published, the replacement of Martine by Geneviève Bernard, his excellent research assistant, the addition of Dr. Stéphane Chabaud PhD, a project manager with lots of knowledge, the recruitment of Alexandre Rousseau, a hard worker, the arrival of Amélie Morissette with her great rigor, and Dr. Hazem Orabi, the first postdoc. The two new recruits, Cassandra Ringuette-Goulet (Ph.d. student) and Dr. Ingrid Saba (post-doctoral researcher) are busy bringing models of bladder and vaginal wall that goes beyond existing tissue engineered models. For their part, some summer students have also made significant contributions to the team by repetitive and productive internships: Thomas-Louis Marcoux, Guillaume Taillon and Amélie Couture, to name a few.
It is important to acknowledge the special contribution of certain individuals in his research success. First of all, those who have supported the recruitment of this clinical scientist, Dr. François. A. Auger and Lucie Germain, who have believed in him. The initial scientific support by Dr. François Berthod, without which the first grant would have been delayed. Dr. Julie Fradette, neighbor, teammate with ASC’s and sometimes an academic advisor. We also acknowledge other team’s research assistants who have guided the group as well as the engineers, who gave depth to our models with meaningful analysis: Dr. Robert Gauvin and Dr. Véronique Laterreur.