Portrait of Professor René Roy

Le code Chastenay

Télé-Québec’s Le Code Chastenay show has presented an exclusive interview since January 13, 2009 on René Roy, professor of NanoQAM and of the Department of Chemistry at UQAM in its Le Quebec Scienfitique section.

Le Québec scientifique

René Roy is a true architect. But his works are not concrete, steel, or wood: they are made of sugars, proteins and amino acids. Because he builds molecules, so small that the researcher can hardly contemplate his works.

In 2007, René Roy’s team achieved a real feat: building a molecule that traps infectious bacteria such as C.difficile or E. coli. This molecule, which is called a “glycodendrimer” helps protect the cells of human mucous membranes, such as the throat, kidney or urinary tract, by deceiving the nasty bacteria. The glycodendrimer (let’s call GD) acts as a shield, imitating the cells of the mucous membranes to attract the infectious bacteria which come to stick to it and thus find themselves trapped. Not only can bacteria no longer detach themselves from the GD molecule, but they can no longer anchor themselves to the cells of the mucous membranes.

Medicinal chemistry

The interest of this approach lies notably in the fact that it makes it possible to circumvent the problem of resistance to antibiotics. To become resistant to GD molecules, bacteria would have to modify their anchor points, which would prevent them from anchoring themselves to the mucosal cells. A possible treatment with GD molecules could be used for prevention (for example for a patient who systematically gets C. difficile when he goes to the hospital) or in addition to antibiotic treatment. It is proving to be particularly interesting at the moment for all types of infectious bacteria which attack the cells of the mucous membranes, such as herpes, urinary tract infections, kidney infections, influenza and cystic fibrosis, among other examples.

In this capsule of “Scientific Quebec”, René Roy shares his passion for chemistry, a scientific discipline that is often overlooked and unloved, but which has fascinated him since childhood. Full video on Le Code Chastenay website.