Prof. Michel Bouvier
Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board
Prof. Michel Bouvier, PhD, is the Chairman of Domain’s Scientific Advisory Board. His expertise in G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a pivotal class of cell surface receptors, has positioned him as a world-renowned expert in the field. Prof. Bouvier’s innovative and forward-thinking approach has significantly advanced our understanding and application of GPCRs in different therapeutic areas including immuno-oncology.
His contributions offer vital scientific and technological guidance to Domain’s management and scientific team. His pioneering discoveries have shed a light on the complex signalling pathways mediated by GPCRs, positioning these receptors as prime targets for drug discovery aiming at delivering innovative candidates. This has accelerated the growth and value of the company’s pipeline, progressing assets from discovery to the clinic with remarkable precision supporting the generation of best-in-class and first-in-class assets.
A visionary in biopharmaceutical research
As a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular medicine and the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at the Université de Montréal, Prof. Bouvier’s contributions have led to the development of new ground-breaking therapeutic classes.
Prof. Bouvier’s relentless pursuit of scientific discovery has led to paradigm-shifting insights in GPCR regulation and contributed significantly to our understanding of this major class of drug targets, providing revolutionary applications for human health. This includes the discovery of concepts like inverse agonism at GPCRs and pharmacological chaperones to restore folding of disease-causing genetically mutated GPCRs.
Additionally, Prof. Bouvier has contributed to establishing the concept of ligand-biased signalling and pioneered the use of bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)-based methods which have revolutionized drug discovery, enabling precise monitoring interactions and functional selectivity of GPCRs. These concepts are now integrated in Domain Therapeutics’ platform, bioSens-All®, unlocking new possibilities in immuno-oncology.
Notable accomplishments and awards
Prof. Bouvier’s outstanding contributions to biomedical research have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Killam prize in health sciences, Wilder-Penfield prize for advancing our understanding of GPCRs, Julius Axelrod pharmacology prize of the American Society for pharmacology and experimental therapeutics, senior investigator award from the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences and Merck-Frosst award from the Canadian Society of Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology.
Prof. Bouvier is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and of the Royal Society of Canada as well as a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. He holds a Ph.D. in Neurological Sciences from the Université de Montréal. His post-doctoral fellowship at Duke University under Nobel laureate Robert Lefkowitz further fueled his passion for GPCRs.