Date: Vendredi 17 avril 2026
Heure: 11:00
Lieu: Salle F-1455
Centre de recherche CERVO
Quebec, Quebec G1J 2G3

Une présentation de Dre Elodie Boisselier, Université Laval
Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec

Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have some form of vision impairment or blindness, making eye conditions one of the most prevalent health issues worldwide. Four major diseases account for the majority of vision loss cases: age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts. The etiology of many ocular diseases remains poorly understood or incompletely characterized. There is therefore a critical need to advance our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these conditions in order to improve patient care.Approximately 90% of ophthalmic medications are administered as topical eye drops. However, even under optimal conditions, less than 0.02% of the active compound reaches intraocular tissues. The limited ocular bioavailability of conventional formulations thus represents a major barrier to therapeutic efficacy.Our research group is developing innovative drug delivery systems based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to enhance the therapeutic performance of ophthalmic drugs. By engineering the surface chemistry and functionalization of AuNPs, we aim to optimize drug loading, controlled release, and tissue-specific interactions within ocular compartments.In parallel, we investigate the function of selected ocular proteins, particularly members of the S100 and annexin families, through membrane interaction studies to elucidate their roles in physiological and pathological processes of the eye. A better understanding of these molecular mechanisms may reveal novel therapeutic targets that can be exploited using nanoparticle-based delivery strategies.The methodologies employed in this research integrate chemistry, molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics to establish a comprehensive framework for translational ophthalmic nanomedicine.Overall, our work seeks to generate fundamental insights into ocular mechanisms while developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic tools based on gold nanoparticle technology for the treatment of vision-threatening diseases.