Professor Michel Fournier has an unusual academic background for a whale researcher: he completed a bachelor\u2019s degree in molecular biology at the Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al in 1976, a master\u2019s in micro-immunology at the Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al and Institut Armand-Frappier some two years later, and a Ph.D. in experimental medicine at McGill University and Institut Armand-Frappier. From 1980 to 1998, Michel Fournier was professor of environmental immunotoxicology at UQAM\u2019s (Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al) department of biological sciences and participated in the creation of the research laboratory in environmental toxicology (TOXEN). Since 1998 he has been professor at INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in immunotechnology. It is said that Michel Fournier is recognized on the national and international scientific scenes; he was Canadian head of the International Joint Commission\u2019s Workgroup on Ecosystem Health (Canada and US). He steers the Centre Interinstitutionnel de Recherche en \u00c9cotoxicologie du Qu\u00e9bec (interinstitutional research centre in ecotoxicology), which encompasses a little more than 100 researchers and managers from over 30 different university and government institutions.<\/p>\n
Michel Fournier is essentially interested in the effects of different substances on the immune system. For example, he developed a project with the objective of studying the impact of pesticides on the immune system and the resistance mechanisms of an animal. He is also interested in other substances such as insecticides, herbicides and heavy metals.<\/p>\n
The long-term research programs on the St. Lawrence belugas have taught us that they are highly contaminated and suffering from numerous diseases and forms of cancer. According to Michel Fournier, it is quite plausible that these animals are suffering serious harm to their immune capabilities, making them more prone to infections and cancer. They therefore represent an excellent model to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between pollution exposure, immune deficiency and heightened susceptibility to infections and cancer. Such a model would also allow correlations to be established between immune deficiency at the individual level and the consequences for the survival of a population.<\/p>\n
The unique character alone of this animal population justifies the research efforts being made on this species and the need for data to ensure its survival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":42344,"menu_order":0,"template":"page-single-chercheur.php","class_list":["post-42602","chercheurs","type-chercheurs","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n