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Name: Lavoie, Pascal
Titles: Clinician Scientist, CFRI
Assistant Professor, Partner Institute, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia
Neonatologist, BC Children's Hospital and BC Women's Hospital & Health Centre
Degrees / Designations: MDCM. PhD, FRCPC
Primary Area of Research: Immunity in Health & Disease
Secondary Area(s) of Research:
Email: plavoie@cw.bc.ca
Phone: 604-875-2135
Fax: 604-875-3106
Laboratory Phone: 604-875-2345 ext. 6705
Assistant: Mihoko Whalen
Assistant Phone: Lab: 6705; Pager 41-01750 (first, dial 604 875-4200 from an external line)
Mailing Address: Child & Family Research Institute
Room A4-147, 950 West 28th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4

Research Areas
  • Neonatal Immunity
  • Infection/Inflammation
  • Inheritance/Genetics of Neonatal Morbidities
  • Neonatal Chronic Lung Disease

Summary

As a neonatologist, I regularly care for small, prematurely born infants needing intensive medical care early in life. Premature babies are particularly vulnerable to infections, but also to a number of “inflammatory” complications which can damage vital organs, such as the lungs. However, not all preterm babies become ill and the reasons why only some do while others do not are not entirely understood.

In my research team, we use a combination of translational research approaches (population-based clinical studies/epidemiology and traditional molecular biology) focusing on understanding how the delicate immune system is successful in protecting some healthy preterm infants compared to other premature babies who become sick from infections or other diseases.


Current Projects
Innate immune defences in neonates born early in gestation
In these studies, we aim to define characteristics of innate immune system responsible for the excessively high risk of infection in preterm infants, particularly focusing on Toll-like receptor-mediated cytokine responses. Toll-like receptors are family of molecules playing a critical role in first-line innate immune defences, particularly in neonates. We employ molecular and human cell-based immunology approaches to help understand why the preterm immune system sometimes fails to protect against infection and how we may enhance its function in order to prevent disease in preterm infants. We also study cohorts of infants born early in gestation to understand how immune homeostasis plays a role in preterm infants’ disease.

Neonatal Natural Killer T cell development
T lymphocytes play a central role in adaptive immune defenses by “orchestrating” the activity of other cells such as the antibody-producing B lymphocytes, or by killing virally-infected cells directly. Natural Killer T (NKT) cells are of main interest because of their role in regulating excessive inflammatory responses from other first line immune cells. Our efforts in this area are focused on understanding how NKT cells emerge in neonates, with particular emphasis on receptor regulating proliferation and maintenance of this highly specialized immunological compartment.

Heritability of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a form of chronic inflammatory-mediated lung disease affecting thousands of infants born prematurely each year in Canada. BPD is a serious disease which often results in significant morbidity and mortality. Clinicians lack a cure for BPD and current treatments can have serious side-effects. Our own evidence suggests that susceptibility to this condition is in large part genetically inherited. In this study, we collaborate with other neonatal centres internationally to examine the role of common gene polymorphisms in clinically well-characterized cohorts of preterm infants, in order to understand how genetic factors interact in the regulation of inflammation and how they predispose infants to BPD.

Selected Publications
Innate immune defences and infections in neonates born early in gestation
Chang BA, Quan J, Huang Q, Chau V, Ladd M, Kwan E, McFadden DE, Lacaze-Masmonteil T, Miller SP, Lavoie PM (2011). Early inflammation in the absence of overt infection in preterm neonates exposed to intensive care. Cytokine; 56(3):621-6. PMID: 21940177

Lavoie PM, Huang Q, Jolette E, Ladd M, Nuyt AM, Audibert F, Speert DP, Lacaze-Masmonteil T, Soudeyns H, Kollmann TR (2010). Profound lack of IL-12/23p40 in neonates born early in gestation influencing the risk of early-onset sepsis. J Infect Dis; 202(11):1754-63. PMID: 20977341

Corbett NP, Blimkie D, Ho KC, Cai B, Sutherland DP, Kallos A, Crabtree J, Rein-Weston A, Lavoie PM, Turvey S, Hawkins NR, Self SG, Wilson CB, Hajjar AM, Fortuno ES, Kollmann TR (2010). Ontogeny of Toll-Like Receptor mediated cytokine responses of human blood mononuclear cells. PloS One; 5(11):e15041. PMID: 21152080

Lavoie PM, Lavoie JC, Watson C, Rouleau T, Chang BA, Chessex P (2010). Inflammatory response in preterm infants is induced early in life by oxygen and modulated by total parenteral nutrition. Pediatr Res; 68(3):248-51. PMID: 20703144

Abu-Sharar Z, Robinson A, Lavoie PM (2010). Incidence of septicemia immediately following elective gastrointestinal contrast procedures in infants: A cohort study. J Pediatr Surg; 45(3):507-12. PMID: 20223312

Lavoie PM (2009). Earlier initiation of enteral nutrition is associated with lower risk of late-onset bacteremia only in most mature very low birth weight infants. J Perinatol; 29(6):448-54. PMID: 19212326

Neonatal Natural Killer T cell development
Sharma A, Chew L, Ladd M, Jen R, Lavoie PM (2011). Ex vivo purification and characterization of human invariant natural killer T cells. J Immunol Methods; 373(1-2):1-7. PMID: 21854781

Ladd M, Sharma A, Huang Q, Wang AY, Xu L, Genowati I, Levings MK, Lavoie PM (2010). Natural Killer T cells constitutively expressing the IL-2 receptor alpha chain early in life are primed to respond to lower antigenic stimulation. Immunology; 131(2):289-99. PMID: 20545784

Heritability of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Lavoie PM, Ladd M, Hirschfeld AF, Huusko J, Mahlman M, Speert DP, Hallman M, Lacaze-Masmonteil T, Turvey SE (2012). Influence of common non-synonymous Toll-like receptor 4 polymorphisms on bronchopulmonary dysplasia and prematurity in human infants. PloS One; 7(2): e31351. PMID: 22348075

Lavoie PM, Dubé MP (2010). Genetics of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the age of genomics. Curr Opin Pediatr; 22(2):134-8. PMID: 20087186

Lavoie PM, Brant R (2009). Twin zygosity studies and the genetic basis of neonatal morbidities – author’s reply. Pediatrics; 123(2):e352-3. PMID: 19171586

Lavoie PM, Pham C, Jang KL (2008). Heritability of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, defined according to the consensus statement of the National Institute of Health. Pediatrics; 122(3):479-85. Related commentary by Abman S et al. Pediatrics; 122(3):658-9. PMID: 18762515

Other publications can be found on PubMed.



Honours & Awards
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research – Career Investigator Award – 2011-2019
CFRI Clinician-Scientist Award – 2008-2013

Research Group Members
Mihoko Whalen – Laboratory Manager
Ashish Sharma – Graduate Student (PhD)
Roger Jen – Graduate Student (Masters)
Nadine Lusney – Research Nurse
Linda Dix-Cooper – Newborn Program Clinical Research Coordinator

Last Update: 4/20/2012
 
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