Dr. Steeve Provencher

Canadian Pulmonary Hypertension Medical Committee Research Subcommittee Chair

Dr. Provencher is a member of the Groupe de Recherche en Hypertension Pulmonaire. The Group's translational-clinical research program, based on both clinical investigation and basic research, makes it the only research team of its kind in Canada.

Dr. Provencher's research program focuses on the pathophysiology of exercise, as well as the cellular mechanisms leading to the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). He is also interested in the clinical validation of biomarkers for this disease. His interests have also led him to work on pulmonary embolism and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

This research aims to improve patient care, quality of life and survival, focusing on:

• the abnormal development of new vessels (angiogenesis)

• the disruption of mechanisms influencing gene expression (BRD4 epigenetic reader)

• the ability of new blood markers to detect PAH and predict subsequent response to treatment

• explore new mechanisms of exercise intolerance

• validate new quality-of-life assessment tools which, through their use in clinical trials, will support the development of new drugs.

Ultimately, the completion of this program will inspire new avenues of research and potentially new therapies.