Jean-Philippe Fortin, Ph.D.

Dr. Jean-Philippe Fortin received his B.S. in Biotechnology from Sherbrooke University, Canada, in 2000. He then earned his master’s degree and doctorate (2006) in Experimental Medicine from Laval University, Canada, studying the molecular pharmacology of bradykinin receptors in the laboratory of Dr. François Marceau. Jean-Philippe joined the Molecular Pharmacology Research Center (MPRC) as a postdoctoral fellow in 2007. Within the Kopin Laboratory, he pursued the development and exploration of “membrane-tethered ligands”(MTLs) as a novel strategy to probe the function of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) (Fortin et al., PNAS, 106(19):8049-54, 2009). His ongoing research efforts on MTLs are aimed at i) defining the molecular pharmacological mechanisms underlying MTL function ii) widening the spectrum of receptors to which MTLs can be applied and iii) exploring the potential of membrane-tethered ligands as novel therapeutics.  Dr. Fortin is also focused on understanding how naturally-occurring polymorphisms influence the pharmacological properties of selected GPCRs involved in the regulation of metabolic activity and nociception.