Jonny St-AmandPh.D.

Dr. St-Amand completed his doctoral studies at Laval University, and his postdoctoral studies at the University of British Columbia. In 1998, he optimized the SAGE method in his laboratory located in Japan, at the pharmaceutical company Otsuka. He is currently a full professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Laval University, and director of the Functional Genomics Laboratory and SAGE platform at the CHU Research Centre of Quebec. He is an expert in genetic engineering and functional genomics.

Dr. St-Amand’s research program aims to characterize the transcriptomes of several tissues and their regulation through physical exercise, a lipid-rich diet, and steroid hormones, in order to identify, clone and characterize functionally the genes of interest that can be used as therapeutic targets for coronary heart disease, obesity, and cancer. Dr. St-Amand’s laboratory is developing genetic engineering methods and bioinformatics programs, particularly for the analysis of functional genomics results. Dr. St-Amand developed the first SAGE platform in Canada. This powerful strategy makes it possible to compare all transcripts, including new genes, to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for diseases.

Dr. St-Amand and his team are also studying in vitro cells and knockout mice to characterize the functions of candidate genes. These research projects will identify therapeutic targets to, in turn, develop therapeutic treatments for obesity and cardiovascular disease.