Paul IsenringM.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Paul Isenring has been a Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Laval University since 2011. He holds a doctorate in medicine, which he obtained in 1986 from Laval University, as well as certificates in internal medicine and nephrology, obtained in 1989 and 1991 from the Collège des médecins du Québec and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Upon completing his training in Nephrology, he began graduate studies at Yale University, where he obtained a PhD in molecular physiology in early 1996. He then pursued postdoctoral studies for three years at the same institution before establishing himself as an independent researcher at L’Hôtel-Dieu de Québec’s Research Centre.

Since returning to Quebec, Dr. Isenring has devoted 70% of his time to research, working mainly in the field of applied membrane transport. He is particularly interested in a family of membrane proteins called cation-chloride cotransporters, whose role is to allow the passage of chloride with that of sodium and/or potassium across the cell surface. He is more specifically interested in the molecular determinants that underlie the function, assembly and regulation of these proteins, as well as their roles in the renal tubular epithelium and the cardiovascular system. To achieve his goals, he made use of different heterologous expression systems and animal models, while using directed mutagenesis.

Dr. Isenring has three other fields of interest. He is working to discover new transport systems by characterizing the function of candidate proteins whose role is either unknown or more complex than demonstrated in previous studies. He is also involved in the investigation of various human genetic diseases through the identification of associated mutations as well as in vitro characterization of genetic defects. Finally, Dr. Isenring devotes a part of his time to the care of patients who are suffering from electrolyte disorders and nephrological problems, while also teaching externs and residents of medicine.

The work of Dr. Isenring and his team has led to several discoveries such as the identification of (1) several mechanisms that allow cation-chloride cotransporters to perform both their operational and physiological roles, and to be regulated at the plasma membrane, (2) new functions for different membrane proteins , including that of silicon transport by aquaporins, and (3) unprecedented nosological entities or pathogenic mechanisms hitherto unknown.