Dr. Barbara Papadopoulou, B.Pharm., M.Sc., Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology-Infectious Disease and Immunology of the Laval University School of Medicine and the Director of the Axis of Infectious Diseases and Immunity of the CHU de Quebec Research Center-Laval University, since 2010. Her areas of expertise are parasitic diseases, regulation of gene expression, microbial pathogenesis, genomics, and vaccinology. Over the years, her laboratory has made remarkable discoveries on the molecular mechanisms controlling the intracellular development of the protozoan parasite Leishmania and on post-transcriptional regulation by novel classes of 3’UTR elements and RNA binding factors that have significantly advanced knowledge in this area. The fascinating concept of coordinated gene regulation by retroposons has revolutionized the landscape of gene expression control in this parasite. Her laboratory has also been a pioneer in the use of reverse genetics and genomics in Leishmania. She has also contributed to original work on the development of promising vaccine strategies against Leishmania infections. Her sustained efforts on vaccine development have led to patents and innovative live vaccine-based strategies that are currently being evaluated in relevant disease models in endemic countries. Dr. Papadopoulou is an internationally recognized leader in the field of Leishmania. She currently holds some very influential roles in international research networks (Leishmania Genome Network, TriTrypDB, The European Cooperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research COST B22) and in advisory expert committees (WorldLeish, World Health Organization) and she has established numerous collaborations, internationally. She has been actively involved, as member of the organizing scientific or local committees, in the organization of more than 8 international congresses on leishmaniasis and other parasitic diseases, and has also organized more than 15 symposia in this field.
Dr. Papadopoulou is the author of over 135 scientific publications and of several reviews and book chapters. She has received several prestigious national and international awards and distinctions for excellence in research, including the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Award in Molecular Parasitology for her outstanding contributions to the field of Leishmania research, and the nomination as Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, in 2013. Her leadership role as a woman in biomedical sciences has also been highlighted on several occasions (YWCA Women of Distinction Award Winner 2012, Science and Technology, 50 Successful Women from the Quebec City Region of Chaudière-Appalaches, ’22 Quebecers to watch’ by L’Actualité magazine, etc.). Dr. Papadopoulou is a member of several international consortia, as well as national (CIHR) and international (Burroughs Wellcome Fund Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Program, Faculty of 1000 Biology, National Council for Scientific and Technological Development/Brazil, Hellenic Quality Assurance Agency for higher education, etc.) peer review and advisory committees. She is also an elected Faculty member of Greek Universities (APELLA). Until recently, she was until a member and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé (FRQS) and the Board of Directors of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
2705, boulevard Laurier
RC-709
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2
Latest news
Data not available
- Côté, CarolineEmployeeCHUL+1 418-525-4444, extension 48624+1 418-654-2715caroline.cote@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
2705, boulevard Laurier
RC-709
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2 - Dumas, CaroleEmployeeCHUL+1 418-525-4444, extension 47639+1 418-654-2715carole.dumas@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
2705, boulevard Laurier
RC-709
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2 - Flahaut, Mathilde CannelleDoctoral studentCHUL+1 418-525-4444, extension 47608mathilde-cannelle.flahaut@crchudequebec.ulaval.camathilde.flahaut.1@ulaval.ca
2705 Boulevard Laurier
RC-0709
Québec, QC
Canada G1V 4G2 - Reis Ferreira, GabrielDoctoral studentGabriel.Ferreira@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
The AAA + ATPase valosin-containing protein (VCP)/p97/Cdc48 interaction network in Leishmania.
Journal ArticleSci Rep, 10 (1), pp. 13135, 2020, ISSN: 2045-2322.
New insights in the mode of action of anti-leishmanial drugs by using chemical mutagenesis screens coupled to next-generation sequencing.
Journal ArticleMicrob Cell, 7 (2), pp. 59-61, 2020, ISSN: 2311-2638.
In Vivo Tethering System to Isolate RNA-Binding Proteins Regulating mRNA Decay in Leishmania.
Journal ArticleMethods Mol Biol, 2116 , pp. 325-338, 2020, ISSN: 1064-3745.
Coupling chemical mutagenesis to next generation sequencing for the identification of drug resistance mutations in Leishmania.
Journal ArticleNat Commun, 10 (1), pp. 5627, 2019, ISSN: 2041-1723.
Phosphorylation and interactions associated with the control of the Leishmania Poly-A Binding Protein 1 (PABP1) function during translation initiation.
Journal ArticleRNA Biol, 15 (6), pp. 739-755, 2018, ISSN: 1547-6286.
Valosin-containing protein VCP/p97 is essential for the intracellular development of Leishmania and its survival under heat stress.
Journal ArticleCell Microbiol, 20 (10), pp. e12867, 2018, ISSN: 1462-5814.
Drug resistance and treatment failure in leishmaniasis: A 21st century challenge.
Journal ArticlePLoS Negl Trop Dis, 11 (12), pp. e0006052, 2017, ISSN: 1935-2727.
SIDER2 retroposon-mediated mRNA decay in Leishmania is coupled to translation.
Journal ArticleInt J Parasitol, 47 (6), pp. 305-310, 2017, ISSN: 0020-7519.
RNA secondary structure and nucleotide composition of the conserved hallmark sequence of Leishmania SIDER2 retroposons are essential for endonucleolytic cleavage and mRNA degradation.
Journal ArticlePLoS ONE, 12 (7), pp. e0180678, 2017.
The Pumilio-domain protein PUF6 contributes to SIDER2 retroposon-mediated mRNA decay in Leishmania.
Journal ArticleRNA, 23 (12), pp. 1874-1885, 2017, ISSN: 1355-8382.
Active projects
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Subvention, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec - Université Laval, Centres de recherche affiliés, from 2017-01-01 to 2099-12-31
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie, Subvention, Institutionnel - BDR, BDR - Centres de recherche reconnus, from 1996-06-01 to 2024-11-06
- Post-transcriptional regulatory networks coordinating developmental gene expression in the human pathogen Leishmania, Subvention, Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada, Volet Projet: Concours pilotes, from 2016-07-01 to 2021-06-30
Recently finished projects
- 3.5 Impact of environmental conditions on airway microbiota and resratory health in the North, Subvention, Secrétariat des programmes interorganismes à l’intention des établissements, Fonds d'excellence en recherche Apogée Canada, from 2017-04-01 to 2020-03-31