Dr. Simon Labbé

Dr. Simon Labbé is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry in the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec. Born in 1963, he received his bachelor's degree in microbiology from the Université Laval (Québec city) in 1987. He pursued graduate work at Laval Université and received his Master and Ph.D. in microbiology and molecular-cellular biology, respectively. Afterward, Dr. Labbé served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, US. He was supported by two Fellowship awards from the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) (1995-1998) and Medical Research Council of Canada (CRM) (1998-1999). The latter award being the prestigious Centennial Fellowship. Over the past four years he has been at the Université de Sherbrooke where he has established his own laboratory and independent research program.

Dr. Labbé's long term objective is to decipher key mechanistic aspects of copper homeostasis in health and disease. Copper is an essential trace element for life. The ability of copper to accept or donate electrons renders it a vital co-factor in many enzymatic reactions. On the other hand, copper is potentially toxic due to its ready participation in redox reactions. Therefore, defined pathways have evolved to maintain the delicate balance between essential and detrimental levels of this transition metal in living organisms. Recent studies revealed the extraordinary conservation of the core metabolic functions of transition metal physiology from yeast to mammals, making the former a model organism par excellence to study copper metabolism. By using functional complementation of phenotypes linked with copper deficiency in yeast cells and analysis of protein similarities, Dr. Labbé investigates the molecular basis of the mechanism of action for critical, yet poorly characterized, eukaryotic proteins involved in copper transport. The importance of copper acquisition is underscored by the existence of human inherited disorders of copper homeostasis (e.g. Menkes' and Wilson's disease) and numerous forms of anemia linked to copper deficiency (e.g. microcytic hypochromic anemia).

Dr. Labbé's research utilizes the model organisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) and Schizosaccharomyces pombe (fission yeast) as an intermediate step to advance our understanding of metal ion signaling and trafficking in eukaryotic cells. Furthermore, by combining the best features of both yeasts, S. pombe and S. cerevisiae, he expects to elucidate mechanisms and genes common to all eukaryotes.

Comments made by reviewers of Dr. Labbé's grant applications demonstrate that the scientific community indeed considers him as an excellent, emerging, innovative young scientist with great potential. His research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Furthermore, he has also received five-year New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2001-2006). The presence of the ultramodern Sherbrooke Cyclotron TR-19 at the Medical School gave Dr. Labbé the opportunity to implement and use ⁶⁴Cu isotope to study copper transport. To create such state-of-the-art ⁶⁴Cu uptake workstation, Dr. Labbé received a grant worth more than $306,995 from Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Besides his research program that focuses on mechanistic aspects of action and regulation of eukaryotic copper transport proteins, Dr. Labbé has developed a second program aimed at understanding the molecular control of iron-sensing in eukaryotic cells. This latter program is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Dr. Labbé has been an invited speaker at international meetings, and is a peer reviewer for scientific journals and research grant committees. His laboratory is currently composed of five graduate students, two undergraduate students, and one research assistant. One of his highest priorities is to train high-quality young scientists towards rewarding achievements. Dr. Labbé's record consists of 17 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 5 book chapters, and 42 abstracts.

For further information, please contact Dr. Simon Labbé using the Email contact form or by phone at 819 564-5281