Patrick J. RochetteMSc., Ph.D.

Patrick J. Rochette is a regular researcher at the Research Centre of the CHU of Quebec – Laval University, in the area of ​​regenerative medicine, of which he is the assistant director. He is also Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Basic Research in the Department of Ophthalmology and ENT – head and neck surgery of the Faculty of Medicine at Laval University. He completed his graduate studies (MSc / PhD) in the laboratory of Dr. Regen Drouin (U. Laval), where he studied the induction and repair of UV-induced damage. He pursued his training with 2 postdoctoral fellowships at Yale University, including one in the laboratory of Dr. Douglas Brash, a pioneer in the study of UV-induced mutations in cutaneous cancer. His second fellowship took place in Dr. Yilun Liu ‘s laboratory, where he worked on the RecQ4 helicase in the initiation of DNA replication. He joined Laval University in 2009 and started a laboratory where he specialized in photobiology and, more precisely, on the consequences of cell exposure to low-wavelength light rays (ultraviolet and blue). In humans, only the skin and eyes are exposed to these rays. Thus, Dr. Rochette’s laboratory is interested in two fields of study, ocular photobiology and cutaneous photobiology.

Cutaneous photobiology

At the cutaneous level, skin cells are used as a model to study the mechanisms of protection against the genotoxicity of sunlight. These mechanisms include the induction of mutagenic damage, its repair, and induced cell death as a protective mechanism. In this part of the laboratory, the projects pursued are, among others, the following:

– Influence of the dermis on the efficacy of repair techniques of UV-induced mutagenic damage to the epidermis;

– Effect of chronic UVB irradiation on the cellular genotoxic stress response;

– Necroptosis as a new UV-induced, programmed cell death pathway;

– Involvement of UVA, alone or in synergy with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contained in cigarette smoke in cutaneous photoaging.

 Ocular photobiology

At the ocular level, Dr. Rochette’s research is mostly applied. It aims to understand the involvement of UV and blue light in various ocular pathologies. As UV light does not reach the adult retina, blue light is the most energetic light it is exposed to. In this part of the laboratory, the projects pursued are, among others, the following:

– UVA toxicity in the cornea, involvement of UV-Induced oxidation;

– Involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy;

– Involvement of blue light, alone or in synergy with lipofuscin and / or PAHs in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).