Dr. Donald Poirier has been a professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine (Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Québec, Qc) since July 1991 as well as a researcher at the CHU de Québec – Research Center (Québec, Qc). Since 2008, he has also been Director of the Organic Synthesis Service and Co-Director of the Analytical and Medicinal Chemistry Platform.

Professor Poirier received his basic training in organic chemistry (PhD from Laval University, 1980-1985) and subsequently specialized in medicinal chemistry and endocrinology (Postdoctoral studies at the CHUL-Research Center, 1986-1990, CRM fellowship) and more recently in solid phase synthesis of small molecules of therapeutic interest such as steroid derivatives. He is especially interested in the development of steroidogenic enzyme (17b-HSDs, steroid sulfatase, CYP1B1) inhibitors and antitumor agents for the treatment of different cancers (breast, prostate, ovary, pancreatic, and leukemia). As examples, he developed the first non-estrogenic irreversible steroidal inhibitor of 17β-HSD1 for the treatment of breast cancer and endometriosis. He also developed a family of aminosteroid derivatives that inhibited tumor growth in mice for different cancers (breast, ovary, pancreatic, and leukemia).

In addition to the synthesis of small molecules by classical chemistry, he succeeded by developing solid-phase syntheses of C18-steroid (estrane) derivatives as well as C19-steroid (androstane) derivatives that enabled the generation of model libraries of targeted therapeutic compounds. Thus, he developed a diethylsilylacetylenic linker that produces more stable compounds and a sulfamate linker that produces two classes (phenol and sulfamate) of relevant steroidal or nonsteroidal compounds according to cleavage conditions. He is also interested in additional aspects of organic chemistry (synthesis, new methodologies, NMR analysis, etc.) and medicinal chemistry (SAR, molecular modeling, biological assays, etc.). A particularity of his research group is that he is interested in several stages of the development of a new drug: conception, chemical synthesis, in vitro biological tests (enzymatic assays, cell proliferation, etc.) and in vivo (estrogenic activities and androgenic in female and male mice, plasma concentration, metabolic stability, xenografts of cancer cells, etc.).

Professor Poirier has published 220 scientific publications and is the holder of 11 patents and patent applications. He has also been involved in more than 450 oral and poster presentations, as well as conferences as invited speaker.

CHUL
2705, boulevard Laurier
T4-50
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2
240 entries « 2 of 24 »

Thériault JF, Poirier D, Lin SX

The multi-specific human 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 7: Non-competitive inhibitors can target different catalyses to facilitate breast cancer treatment

Journal Article

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 214 , 2021.

Abstract | Links:

Poirier D, Roy J, Maltais R

A Targeted-Covalent Inhibitor of 17β-HSD1 Blocks Two Estrogen-Biosynthesis Pathways: In Vitro (Metabolism) and In Vivo (Xenograft) Studies in T-47D Breast Cancer Models

Journal Article

Cancers (Basel), 13 (8), 2021.

Abstract | Links:

Maltais R, Roy J, Poirier D

Turning a Quinoline-based Steroidal Anticancer Agent into Fluorescent Dye for its Tracking by Cell Imaging

Journal Article

ACS Med Chem Lett, 12 (5), 2021.

Abstract | Links:

Boutin S, Maltais R, Roy J, Poirier D

Synthesis of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 10 steroidal inhibitors: Selectivity, metabolic stability and enhanced potency

Journal Article

Eur J Med Chem, 209 , 2021.

Abstract | Links:

Lespérance M, Roy J, Djiemeny Ngueta A, Maltais R, Poirier D

Synthesis of 16β-derivatives of 3-(2-bromoethyl)-estra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17β-ol as inhibitors of 17β-HSD1 and/or steroid sulfatase for the treatment of estrogen-dependent diseases

Journal Article

Steroids, 172 , 2021.

Abstract | Links:

Cortés-Benítez F, Roy J, Perreault M, Maltais R, Poirier D

16-Picolyl-androsterone derivative exhibits potent 17β-HSD3 inhibitory activity, improved metabolic stability and cytotoxic effect on various cancer cells: Synthesis, homology modeling and docking studies

Journal Article

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 210 , 2021.

Abstract | Links:

Darveau P, Maltais R, Roy J, Poirier D, Morin JF

Synthesis and pharmacokinetic study of poly(ethylene oxide) triazole dendrimers decorated with aminosteroids as anticancer agent

Journal Article

J Polym Sci, 58 (5), 2020.

| Links:

Mohamed B, Mazeaud C, Baril M, Poirier D, Sow AA, Chatel-Chaix L, Titorenko V, Lamarre D

Very-long-chain fatty acid metabolic capacity of 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 12 (HSD17B12) promotes replication of hepatitis C virus and related flaviviruses

Journal Article

Sci Rep, 10 (1), 2020.

Abstract | Links:

Boutin S, Roy J, Maltais R, Poirier D

Formation of 5α-dihydrotestosterone from 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol in prostate cancer LAPC-4 cells - Identifying inhibitors of non-classical pathways producing the most potent androgen

Journal Article

Bioorg Med Chem Lett, 30 (2), 2020.

Abstract | Links:

Maltais R, Perreault M, Roy J, Poirier D

Minor chemical modifications of the aminosteroid derivative RM-581 lead to major impact on its anticancer activity, metabolic stability and aqueous solubility

Journal Article

Eur J Med Chem, 188 , 2020.

Abstract | Links:

240 entries « 2 of 24 »
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Active projects

  • 3alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 as a modulator of human adipose tissue function and distribution, from 2020-04-01 to 2024-03-31
  • Aminosteroid derivatives as a new class of cholesterol homeostasis disruptors for selective treatment of pancreatic cancer: Mechanistic and translational studies, from 2022-10-01 to 2027-09-30
  • TBC1D9: therapeutic target of the aggressiveness of triple negative breast cancer, from 2023-03-01 to 2024-02-29

Recently finished projects

  • Évaluation du potentiel thérapeutique de la protectine DX et d'analogues contre la COVID-19 , from 2020-06-01 to 2022-03-31
  • La conception de nouveaux agents thérapeutiques et la résonance magnétique nucléaire, from 2022-01-01 to 2023-05-31
  • Un aminostéroïde actif oralement pour traiter les cancers du sein triple négatif, from 2021-09-08 to 2022-03-31
Data provided by the Université Laval research projects registery