Contact info

Dr Bruno Larriv�e
Centre de Recherche de l'H�pital Maisonneuve-Rosemont
5415, Boulevard de l'Assomption
Montr�al, QC H1T 2M3

Tel: 1-514-252-3400, ext. 7740
Fax: 1-514-253-7626
E-mail: [email protected]

Research keywords

Bruno Larriv�e was trained in Experimental Medicine at the University of British Columbia, where he obtained a PhD degree. His thesis was in the field of vascular development in tumors and VEGF signaling in hematopoietic cells under the direction of Dr Aly Karsan. He then joined the laboratory of Dr Anne Eichmann in Coll�ge de France in Paris, where he worked as a post-doctoral fellow on axon guidance molecules, and how they influence the patterning of blood vessels. After working for Medimmune/AstraZeneca in Cambridge for 2 years, he joined the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center in 2010 as research associate, where he worked on deciphering the role of BMP signaling during vascular development. In 2013, he joined the Ophthalmology department of Universit� de Montr�al as assistant professor. His research focuses on factors that mediate the quiescence and integrity of blood vessels during physiological and pathological angiogenesis.

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Dr Larriv�e has described the roles of Netrins, which are axon guidance molecules involved in the proper patterning of neural connections, in the development of the cardiovascular system. Using experimental models of developmental and pathological vascular development, he has shown that one of the Netrin receptor, Unc5B, is specifically expressed in the endothelium, and that it mediates the proper patterning of blood vessels in part through its guidance effects, and by modulating the response of endothelial cells to VEGF.

The recent research of Dr Larriv�e has focused on the role of vascular quiescence factors, and how they help maintain the integrity of blood vessels. Specifically, he has shown that BMP and Notch signaling collaborate to help maintain stable blood vessels. He has shown that in pathological conditions, such as in retinopathies, promoting BMP signaling help prevent the formation of neovessels and limits VEGF signaling.

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Induction of the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) in the eye is frequently associated with various disorders, which can cause severe loss of vision and can lead to blindness. Among these disorders, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration are among the most prevalent in the western world. Current therapies against excessive ocular angiogenesis include laser surgery or inhibition of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), a factor with important pro-angiogenic properties. However, the identification of alternative pathways that regulate angiogenesis may lead to the development of inhibitors more effective and safer for ocular angiogenesis. Dr Larriv�e�s laboratory studies developmental and pathological angiogenesis in order to identify new signaling pathways controlling the formation and morphogenesis of blood vessels. Specifically, three main research areas are covered: 1) Evaluation of signaling pathways that modulate the response of endothelial cells to VEGF; 2) Development of strategies to promote vascular normalization in tumor vessels to increase the perfusion of therapeutic drugs; 3) Investigation of the effects of hyperglycemia on endothelial cells, in order to develop strategies to prevent vascular leakage associated with macular edema in diabetic patients.

The research team uses a wide range of technologies including rodent KO models, RNA silencing, metabolomics/proteomics and transcriptomics to address these specific issues.