Dr. Yves Berthiaume

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting young Canadians. CF is caused by a mutation in the Cftr gene, causing defects in the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) protein. CFTR is a chloride anion channel situated in the apical membranes of mucosal epithelium. Decreased chloride transport in cystic fibrosis leads to an increased absorption of sodium into lung epithelial cells.

Dr. Yves Berthiaume is a clinical scientist who specializes in the areas of lung epithelial cell physiology in CF. Dr. Berthiaume is examining how inflammatory molecules, like tumour necrosis factor (TNF), impact the expression and function of ion channels, such as CFTR or ENaC, in lung epithelial cells. Dr. Berthiaume is exploring the molecular mechanisms that lead to repeated exacerbations in the lungs of CF patients. He is also studying the treatment of individuals with CF who undergo lung transplantation, as there is often an increase in sodium transport that can increase the risk of complications and ultimately, of transplant rejection.

Dr. Berthiaume’s goal is to determine the role of these inflammatory molecules in decreasing sodium transport, in order to develop pharmacological treatments based on this action to improve lung function. Dr. Berthiaume also aims to understand the evolution of other diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome or acute graft dysfunction – conditions seen in individuals who undergo lung transplantation.

Dr. Berthiaume received his MD in 1980, and his M.Sc. in Physiology in 1983, both from the University of Sherbrooke. He then specialized in Pulmonology at Sherbrooke and was subsequently awarded a post-doctoral fellowship from the Medical Research Council of Canada to further his training at the University of California at San Francisco, at the Cardiovascular Research Institute. In 1986, Dr. Berthiaume returned to Canada to take upon appointment as Assistant Professor of Medicine, at the University of Calgary, where he subsequently became Associate Professor. In 1992 Dr. Berthiaume moved to Montreal, where he now holds the position of professeur titulaire (tenured professor) at the University of Montreal. He also serves as an adult CF physician at Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal’s CF clinic.

Dr. Berthiaume has been a volunteer at the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF) since 1997, when he joined the CCFF’s Medical/Scientific Advisory Committee (M/SAC) Research Subcommittee. In 1998, he became Chair of the Research Subcommittee, and a member of the CCFF’s M/SAC Executive Committee. Following a one-year sabbatical in Sophia Antipolis, France, Dr. Berthiaume returned to Canada and took up the role of the Chair of the CCFF’s M/SAC in September of 2003. Dr. Berthiaume contributes on peer review committees of other national organizations, including the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ) and at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

For further information, please contact Dr. Yves Berthiaume using the Email contact form or by phone at 514 343-6269