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Michel Bouvier is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal and Director General of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of Montreal

Major scientific advances in molecular pharmacology

Michel Bouvier is a world-renowned researcher in molecular pharmacology in the field of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). These receptors, which are of considerable importance in physiology and pathology, are the target of more than 30% of the drugs on the market. The work of Michel Bouvier and his laboratory has led to major advances in the field that have greatly influenced and, in some cases, revolutionized our understanding of GPCR function. These include the concepts of constitutive activity and inverse agonist, biased signaling, oligomerization of GPCRs, and the development of biosensors based on bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). Many of these discoveries and technologies are now used by the pharmaceutical industry for drug development.   

Close links with the University of Montpellier

As GPCRs are one of the main themes of the University of Montpellier, it is logical that close links have been established between Michel Bouvier's laboratory and several Montpellier teams, in the form of exchanges of technologies, models and biological tools, most often to the benefit of the latter. These collaborations have led to numerous publications in the best scientific journals. Numerous students and postdoctoral researchers of all nationalities, including several Montpellier residents who now lead teams with a high international profile, have also benefited from the exceptional training provided in Michel Bouvier's laboratory and continue to collaborate closely with him. Finally, the IRIC led by Professor Bouvier is associated with an international Master's project in cancer biology involving the University of Pavia, the University of Montreal and the University of Montpellier.