Respirology

The Respirology research area brings together a multidisciplinary team composed of 67 researchers, 82 nurses, research professionals, and support staff, as well as 88 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. It is one of the leading groups of its kind in Canada, focusing on major public health issues such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sleep apnea, and lung cancer. In a context marked by the pandemic, the rise of vaping, and the increasing effects of climate change, the study of bioaerosols and their impact on human respiratory health is more relevant than ever.*

The success of the Respirology research area is built on close collaboration between clinician scientists and basic scientists, as well as on the excellence of research professionals and students.

Their research and knowledge translation efforts have led to the demonstration of the role of the immunological microenvironment in the risk of tumor recurrence in lung cancer; the prediction of lung cancer relapse and the development of personalized postoperative care; the discovery and validation of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets in pulmonary hypertension; the identification of the role of bioaerosols in antibiotic resistance; and the demonstration of the impact of early diagnosis and management of asthma and COPD on health care resource utilization. These efforts have also resulted in leadership of the most recent international clinical practice guidelines in asthma and pulmonary hypertension.

*Data 2024-2025

Research chairs

• Canada Research Chair in Bioaerosols (Dr. Caroline Duchaine)
• Research Chair in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (Drs. François Maltais and Andréanne Côté)
• Canada Research Chair in the Identification of Predictive and Diagnostic Biomarkers to Improve Lung Cancer Management (Dr. Philippe Joubert)