Georges Lévesque

Pr. Georges Lévesque received his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). He continued his studies at Laval University, where he obtained a certificate in pedagogy, a Master’s degree in medical biochemistry, and a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology. He then embarked on a postdoctoral fellowship on the molecular genetics of Alzheimer’s disease at the Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Toronto. He is a co-discoverer of the presenilin 1 and 2 genes, along with their mutations that lead to the development of an early, familial form of Alzheimer’s disease. Pr. Lévesque received the first Frist-Jus Memorial Award for Neurodegenerative Disease Research from the University of Toronto. He began his career in 1998 at the University of Sherbrooke and joined Laval University at the end of 2001. He is currently deputy Director and Full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of the Faculty of Medicine and member of the Institute of Aging Advisory Board of the CIHR. Pr. Levesque continues his basic research activities on Alzheimer’s disease within the Neuroscience program of the CHU de Québec. He has published more than 90 manuscripts/book chapters/abstracts in Alzheimer’s disease research field, chaired the biomedical review panel of the Alzheimer Society of Canada, chaired the CIHR biological and clinical aspects of aging (BCA) committee and served on several committees from funding agencies related to aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

Pr. Lévesque’s research interests focus on the molecular aspects of Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is characterized by the degeneration of the central nervous system. The biochemical mechanisms leading to Alzheimer’s disease are not fully known. However, it is well known that accumulation of toxic forms of both amyloid and Tau (neurofibrillary tangles) contribute to the disease. Pr. Lévesque began developing a new therapeutic molecule, a ribozyme, to reduce levels of amyloid and Tau mRNAs and in turn block the accumulation of these toxic molecules, which are responsible for neuronal degeneration. His team succeeded in creating a ribozyme against amyloid. Since removing amyloid alone does not provide significant cognitive benefit, Pr. Lévesque is now creating a ribozyme against Tau mRNA. It is expected that combining the 2 ribozymes will mitigate cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s pathology. His team is also studying the biochemical pathways by which the mutated form of presenilin leads to the degeneration of nerve cells and an aggressive form of Alzheimer’s disease.