Dr. GPCR Podcast

About Dr. Bianca Plouffe

Dr. Bianca Plouffe obtained her B.Sc. in Biochemistry in 2003 from Université de Sherbrooke (Qc, Canada). She then completed an M.Sc. in Physiology from the same university in 2005 by investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in the angiotensin type 2 receptor (AT2R)-mediated neurite outgrowth while characterizing new selective AT2R agonists. In 2006, Bianca obtained a Doctoral Scholarship from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec en Santé. She moved to the University of Ottawa to complete a Ph.D. in Neuroscience. She identified the molecular mechanisms involved in the opposite regulation of dopamine D1 and D5 receptors by protein kinase C. After obtaining a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in 2012, Bianca joined the research group of Prof Michel Bouvier at Université de Montréal. As part of Bouvier’s team, Bianca used Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET)-based technology to tackle important questions related to GPCRs. She identified the structural determinant controlling biased signaling of melatonin type 2 receptors in the context of protection against type 2 diabetes. Bianca also collaborated with Prof. Robert Lefkowitz, which led to the finding that both β-arrestin and G protein can simultaneously bind to some GPCRs when signaling in endosomes by forming a megaplex. In 2018, Bianca was appointed Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast to develop her research program. Funded by a Wellcome Trust Seed Award, she investigated biased and compartmentalized G protein signaling by the vasopressin type 2 receptor. In 2021, Bianca secured a permanent position as a lecturer. Her subsequent work has focused on understanding the role of compartmentalized Gq signaling by the cytomegalovirus-encoded chemokine US28 receptor in the context of glioblastoma.

Dr. Bianca Plouffe on the web

• Queen's University Belfast website

• LinkedIn

• ResearchGate

• ORCID

• Dr. GPCR Ecosystem