Stephane Bourque
Dr Stephane Bourque
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Education:
PhD Pharmacology and Toxicology, Queen's University, 2009
BScH Life Sciences, Queen's University, 2003
Contact Information:
Teaching:
Research: Mechanisms of blood pressure control and vascular function in health and disease
Research Interests / Laboratory Techniques
My research program encompasses two broad areas of cardiovascular pharmacology. The first focuses on understanding how iron deficiency in pregnancy affects maternal health as well as growth and development of the fetus, which in turn predisposes the offspring to non-communicable diseases in later life. Iron deficiency Is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide, and pregnant women and young children are among the most susceptible subgroups. Diagnosis and treatment for iron deficiency in pregnancy is deceptively complex – an aspect underscored by its staggering prevalence (>50% worldwide) despite widespread supplementation and food-fortification efforts. The goal of our work is to develop novel strategies to diagnose iron deficiency and anemia earlier in pregnancy and identify new treatments to improve outcomes in these complicated pregnancies.
The second focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of vasoplegia and cardiovascular collapse in sepsis in neonates. We also study the consequences of neonatal sepsis on development and subsequent cardiovascular function in adulthood. In collaboration with the National Preclinical Sepsis Platform of Sepsis Canada, over the past few years we have devoted considerable time and effort to developing a standardized rodent model of neonatal sepsis. The goal of this initiative is to establish a well-characterized animal model of neonatal sepsis in the interest of harmonizing study outcomes among research centers and performing multi-center preclinical studies across Canada.
Our work is currently funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Sepsis Canada, and by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation through the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute.
Selected Recent Publications
1. Woodman AG, Mah RL, Kinney S, Holody CH, Wiedemeyer AR, Noble RMN, Clugston RD, BOURQUE SL. Perinatal iron deficiency causes sex-dependent alterations in renal retinoic acid signaling and nephrogenesis. J Nutr Biochemistry. 2022. In Press.
2. Jahandideh F, Panahi S, Noble RMN, Gragasin FS, Khadaroo RG, Macala KF, BOURQUE SL. Characterization of systemic and regional hemodynamics and vascular dysfunction in mice with fecal-induced peritonitis. Biomedicines. 2022 Feb;10(2): 470.
3. Roberts H, Woodman AG, Baines KJ, Jeyarajah MJ, BOURQUE SL, Renaud SJ. The effects of maternal iron deficiency on placental development and function. Endocrinology. 2021 Dec; 162:bqab215.
4. BOURQUE SL, Davidge ST. Developmental programming of cardiovascular function: a translational perspective. Clin Sci (Lond). 2020 Nov 27;134(22):3023-3046.
5. Sanni OB, Chambers T, Li J, Rowe S, Woodman AG, Ospina MB, BOURQUE SL. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the correlation between maternal and neonatal iron status and hematologic indices. EClinicalMedicine. 2020 Oct 8;27:100555.
6. Woodman AG, Mah R, Keddie DL, Noble RMN, Holody C, Panahi S, Gragasin FS, Lemieux H, BOURQUE SL. Perinatal iron deficiency and a high salt diet cause long-term kidney mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. 2019 Cardiovasc Res (2018 IF: 7.014). In press.
7. Woodman AG, Mah R, Keddie D, Noble RMN, Panahi S, Lemieux H, BOURQUE SL. Prenatal iron deficiency causes sex-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in fetal rat kidneys and liver. FASEB J. 2018 Jun;32(6):3254-3263. (2018 IF: 5.391). Manuscript selected for the MedStar Award for best paper by a trainee (AG Woodman) in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta.
8. Care AS, Sung M, Panahi S, Gragasin FS, Dyck JRB, Davidge ST, BOURQUE SL. Prenatal and immediate postnatal maternal resveratrol treatment mitigates the development of hypertension in adult SHR offspring. Hypertension. 2016 May;67(5):1038-44. (2016 IF: 6.857) Manuscript selected as the subject of an invited editorial commentary in Hypertension. Manuscript selected for the MedStar Award for best paper by a trainee (AS Care) in the FoMD at the University of Alberta.
9. Sipos P*, BOURQUE SL*, Ridgeway A, Hubel C, Baker P, Davidge ST, Crocker I. Endothelial colony forming cells derived from pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction are fewer and have reduced vasculogenic capacity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Dec;98(12):4953-60. (2013 IF: 6.310)
10. BOURQUE SL, Gragasin F, Mansour Y, Quon A, Morton J, Davidge ST. Prenatal hypoxia causes long-term alterations in vascular endothelin-1 function in aged male but not female offspring. Hypertension. 2013 Oct;62(4):753-8. (2013 IF: 7.632) Manuscript selected as the subject of an invited editorial commentary in Hypertension.
Laboratory Members