Lung Vascular Pathobiology & Cardio-Pulmonary Interplay

Prof. Dr. Sébastien Bonnet

Sébastien Bonnet, PhD, FAHA, is a Full Professor of Medicine at Université Laval and Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension and Vascular Biology Research Group at the Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec (CRIUCPQ). He holds a Distinguished Research Chair from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in pulmonary vascular biology, with a particular focus on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), right ventricular failure (RVF), and coronary artery disease (CAD).

Dr. Bonnet’s translational research program is built on a unique and dynamic collaboration between fundamental and clinical scientists. With a strong emphasis on epigenetics, cellular metabolism, DNA damage, and biomarker discovery, his team has been at the forefront of identifying critical mechanisms underlying vascular remodeling and RV dysfunction. These discoveries are driving the development of targeted therapies and diagnostic tools aimed at transforming patient care.

In addition to his role in Québec, Dr. Bonnet is now also affiliated part-time with the Institute for Lung Health (ILH) of Justus Liebig University (JLU) in Giessen, Germany. There, he collaborates closely with Professors Soni Pullamsetti and Rajkumar Savai on cutting-edge research into pulmonary vascular diseases and lung cancer, enhancing global efforts in translational lung research.

Dr. Bonnet earned his PhD in Health and Biology from Université de Bordeaux 2, France, where he studied potassium channels and intracellular calcium signaling in PAH. He completed his postdoctoral training and early academic career at the University of Alberta before joining Université Laval in 2008.

A Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA), he has held prestigious Canadian Research Chairs in both Vascular Biology and Translational Pulmonary Vascular Disease. He has taken on major leadership roles including Chair of the 3CPR Council of the AHA and board member of the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI). He also serves on the editorial boards of numerous high-impact journals, including Circulation, Circulation Research, and the American Journal of Physiology.

Dr. Bonnet’s group has made major contributions to the field, including the development of the first internationally endorsed preclinical/translational research guidelines for PAH, endorsed by the World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension in 2018. His lab was among the first to propose the “cancer theory of PAH,” highlighting parallels between PAH and cancer biology, such as resistance to apoptosis, metabolic reprogramming, and abnormal cell proliferation. These insights have led to the discovery of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, including microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), BET proteins, and DNA damage response pathways.

Currently, his team is actively involved in translating these findings into clinical practice through multicenter trials (e.g., NCT03782818, NCT03655704), as well as contributions to studies on DHEA and trimetazidine. Beyond research, Dr. Bonnet is deeply committed to mentorship and has trained over 60 students and fellows, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment that promotes innovation and excellence.

Driven by the urgent need for more effective treatments, his translational approach aims to deliver personalized therapies that improve both outcomes and quality of life for patients living with cardiopulmonary diseases.

Interests:
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH); Right ventricular failure; coronary disease.

Contact

Dr. Sébastien Bonnet PhD; F.A.H.A

Professeur en médecine / Full Professor in medicine

Distinguished Research Scholars FRQS chair
Directeur du comité 3CPR of American Heart Association / Chair of the American Heart Association 3CPR council
Groupe de recherche en hypertension pulmonaire / Pulmonary hypertension research group

Centre de recherche de IUCPQ 2725 Chemin Sainte-Foy
Local A2134
G1V 4G5 Québec, (Québec) Canada

Phone: +1 418 656 8711 ext 5427 (lab) 3728 (office)
Email: Sebastien.Bonnet@criucpq.ulaval.ca
Web: https://phrg.ca/

Ten most important publications

1. Identification of LTBP-2 as a plasma biomarker for right ventricular dysfunction in human pulmonary arterial hypertension. Olivier Boucherat, Tetsuro Yokokawa, Vinod Krishna, Shanker Kalyana-Sundaram, Sandra Martineau, Sandra Breuils-Bonnet, Nabil Azhar, Fany Bonilla, David Gutstein, François Potus, Allan Lawrie, Jey Jeyaseelan, Steeve Provencher, Sebastien Bonnet Nature Cardiovascular Research volume 1, pages 748–760 (2022).
2. Transcriptional profiling unveils molecular subgroups of adaptive and maladaptive right ventricular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension Fatemeh Khassafi, Prakash Chelladurai, Chanil Valasarajan, Sreenath Reddy Nayakanti, Sandra Martineau, Natascha Sommer, Tetsuro Yokokawa, Olivier Boucherat, Aryan Kamal, David G Kiely, Andrew J Swift, Samer Alabed, Junichi Omura, Sandra Breuils-Bonnet, Carsten Kuenne, Francois Potus, Stefan Günther, Rajkumar Savai, Werner Seeger, Mario Looso, Allan Lawrie, Judith B Zaugg, Khodr Tello, Steeve Provencher, Sébastien Bonnet, Soni Savai Pullamsetti. Nature Cardiovascular Research volume 2, pages 917–936 (2023)
3. ATP citrate lyase drives vascular remodeling in systemic and pulmonary vascular diseases through metabolic and epigenetic changes Yann Grobs, Charlotte Romanet, Sarah-Eve Lemay, Alice Bourgeois, Pierre Voisine, Charlie Theberge, Melanie Sauvaget, Sandra Breuils-Bonnet, Sandra Martineau, Reem El Kabbout, Chanil Valasarajan, Prakash Chelladurai, Andreanne Pelletier, Manon Mougin, Elizabeth Dumais, Jean Perron, Nicolas Flamand, François Potus, Steeve Provencher, Soni Savai Pullamsetti, Olivier Boucherat, Sebastien Bonnet Science Translational Medicine 11 Dec 2024 Vol 16, Issue 777 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.ado7824
4. Unraveling AURKB as a potential therapeutic target in pulmonary hypertension using integrated transcriptomic analysis and pre-clinical studies Sarah-Eve Lemay, Manon Mougin, Mélanie Sauvaget, Reem El Kabbout, Chanil Valasarajan, Keiko Yamamoto, Sandra Martineau, Andréanne Pelletier, Coralie Bilodeau, Yann Grobs, Alice Bourgeois, Charlotte Romanet, Sandra Breuils-Bonnet, Monica S Montesinos, Min Lu, Huidong Chen, Mégan Gilbert, Charlie Théberge, François Potus, Soni Pullamsetti, Steeve Provencher, Sébastien Bonnet, Olivier Boucherat Cell Reports Medicine Volume 6, Issue 2101964 February 18, 2025.
5. Exploring Integrin α5β1 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Insights from Comprehensive Multicenter Preclinical Studies Sarah-Eve Lemay, Monica S Montesinos, Yann Grobs, Tetsuro Yokokawa, Tsukasa Shimauchi, Manon Mougin, Charlotte Romanet, Mélanie Sauvaget, Sandra Breuils-Bonnet, Alice Bourgeois, Charlie Théberge, Andréanne Pelletier, Reem El Kabbout, Sandra Martineau, Keiko Yamamoto, Muzaffar Akram, Adrian S Ray, Blaise Lippa, Bryan Goodwin, Fu-Yang Lin, Hua Wang, James E Dowling, Min Lu, Qi Qiao, T Andrew McTeague, Terence I Moy, François Potus, Steeve Provencher, Olivier Boucherat, Sébastien Bonnet. Circulation Volume 151, Number 16 https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.070693

Other publications: https://pubmed-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.acces.bibl.ulaval.ca/?term=Sebastien+Bonnet&sort=date

Here you can find all ILH-publications