Stephane Bourque

Biography

Stephane Bourque is a professor belongs to the department of Pharmacology from the university of Alberta.

Research Interest

Research Interests / Laboratory Techniques My research interests focus on mechanisms that contribute to normal and accelerated age-related decline in cardiovascular function. My work involves two broad areas of cardiovascular pharmacology. The first focuses on mechanisms by which stressors during pregnancy alter the developmental trajectory of the fetus, which in turn influence the offspring’s susceptibility to chronic diseases in later life. The developing fetus is highly vulnerable to insults (e.g. iron deficiency, hypoxia) which can induce lasting functional changes in key organ systems that progress with time, resulting in accelerated age-related decline. By extension, targeted therapies during critical windows of development may provide protection and confer long-term health benefits to the offspring. My laboratory employs a number of strategies to understand how prenatal stressors and therapeutics impact fetal development and long-term cardiovascular health in the offspring. The second area focuses on mechanisms by which anesthetic agents (and other pharmacological agents) affect vascular function and blood pressure regulation; my laboratory works closely with colleagues in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine and Surgery to address important clinical issues (e.g. perioperative hypotension, anemia) that impact surgical outcomes and subsequent patient recovery, particularly in the elderly.