Dr Frédéric Picard holds a PhD from Laval University, Quebec City, specialized in the physiology and endocrinology of lipid metabolism in conditions of obesity and insulin resistance. His first postdoctoral training in Johan Auwerx’s laboratory (IGBMB, Strasbourg, France) has been characterized by pioneer studies on the molecular regulation of energy metabolism by nuclear cofactors. His article in Cell (2002) was acknowledged by one of the reviewers as “the new gold standard” for molecular physiology papers. His co-authored article in Molecular Cell (2001) was a significant proof-of-concept that differential recruitment of nuclear cofactors to PPARgamma was a novel approach in the design of second-generation anti-diabetes drugs. In November 2002, Dr Picard joined the team of Leonard Guarente at MIT (Boston), a leader in the field of the molecular biology of aging. Dr Picard made the discovery that SIRT1 acts as a crucial link between aging and changes in the biology of white adipose tissue (published in Nature June 2004). In 2004, Dr Picard set up his lab as a CIHR New Investigator at the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec. His work is at the edge of metabolic diseases and aging, using several models (C. elegans, cultured cells, knockout mice, humans tissues) to unravel the molecular pathways evolutionary conserved that link aging and changes in energy metabolism.

Richard D, Picard F. Brown fat biology and thermogenesis. Frontiers in Bioscience 16:1233-1260, 2011.

Miard S, Dombrowski L, Carter S, Boivin L, Picard F. Aging alters PPARgamma in rodent and human adipose tissue by modulating the balance in SRC-1. Aging Cell 8:449-459, 2009.

Um SH, Frigerio F, Watanabe M, Picard F, Joaquin M, Sticker M, Fumagalli S, Allegrini PR, Kozma SC, Auwerx J, Thomas G. Absence of S6K1 protects against age and diet-induced obesity while enhancing insulin sensitivity. Nature 431:200-205, 2004.

Picard F, Kurtev M, Chung N, Topark-Ngarm A, Senawong T, Machado de Oliveira R, Leid M, McBurney MW, Guarente L. SIRT1 promotes fat mobilization in white adipocytes by repressing PPARgamma. Nature 429:771-776, 2004.

Picard F, Géhin M, Annicotte J-S, Rocchi S, Champy M-F, O’Malley BW, Chambon P, Auwerx J. SRC-1 and TIF2 control energy fluxes between white and brown adipose tissues. Cell 111:931-941, 2002.

Current projects in the laboratory fall into three areas:

How inflammation promotes alterations in energy metabolism upon aging? We are especially interested in the effects of B lymphocytes.

What are the transcriptional impact on long non-coding RNAs in adipocytes and hepatocytes upon aging? We think that lncRNA are a key node that can sense changes in energy metabolism and modulate gene expression to promote specific adaptations in aging and cancer.

What are the best biomarkers of cardiometabolic diseases in aging? We seek to define the role and contribution of specific biomarkers circulating in the blood – especially those influencing the IGF-1 axis – in predicting the risk of age-associated diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, aortic stenosis, insulin resistance, and impaired thermogenesis.

The lab addresses these questions using a wide array of molecular, cellular, and physiological methodologies in complementary models. We are especially interested to develop new technologies through patents and partnerships with the industry in order to ultimately help patients.