Côté, Hélène
BSc (Laval University ), PhD (University of British Columbia)
Academic Rank(s): Professor, UBC, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine | Investigator, Centre for Blood Research, Member, Centre for Blood Research, LSC | Vice Chair of Scientific Education, Dept of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Affiliation(s): UBC Hospital, Centre for Blood Research, Women’s Health Research Institute
Research and Scholarly Interests: HIV, chronic/latent viruses, aging, markers of biological aging, women’s health, antiretroviral drug toxicity, HIV pregnancy, cohort studies, community-engaged research
Dr. Côté’s https://cotelab.pathology.ubc.ca/
Dr. Côté is a Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PALM) at the University of British Columbia. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of Scientific Education in PALM and Director/Graduate Advisor for the PALM Graduate Program. Dr. Côté is also an Associate member of the Women’s Health Research Institute, an investigator of the UBC Centre for Blood Research, and a member of the Edwin S.H. Leong Healthy Aging Program at UBC.
Following post-doctoral training at the University of Washington she worked at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS where she studied HIV antiretroviral drug toxicity. She then joined the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, supported by a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award, and moved to the UBC campus where her research program has focused on mitochondrial aging and immune cell aging, in persons living with HIV and other chronic/latent viruses, as well as in children exposed antenatally to antiretroviral agents. She has been the lead Principal Investigator on the CARMA cohort study from 2008-2018, and currently co-leads the British Columbia CARMA-CHIWOS Collaboration study, a holistic Cell-to-Society study of healthy aging among women living with HIV https://hivhearme.ca/studies/.
Academic Background
- BSc, Biochemistry, Laval University. 1987
- PhD, Biochemistry, University of British Columbia. 1993
- Post-doctoral Fellow, Biochemistry, University of British Columbia. 1994
- Post-doctoral Fellow, Biochemistry, University of Washington. 1995-1998
- Research Associate II, British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. 1998-2004
- Research Scholar B.C. Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR)/St.Paul’s Hospital Foundation Joint Scholarship. 1999-2003
- Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar. 2004-2009
- CIHR New Investigator. 2007-2012
Awards and Recognition
Publications
Full list of publications may be found here.
Research Interest
- HIV infection, antiretroviral therapy and aging
- Drug mitochondrial toxicity
- Markers of biological aging
- Blood Research
- Infectious Diseases
Dr. Cote’s research concentrates on the mitochondrial toxicity of drugs, primarily antiretroviral drugs used in HIV therapy. HIV combination therapy has significantly decreased mortality in the HIV infected population. However, treatment is life-long and as HIV infected individuals survive longer, the toxicity of the drugs and the serious side effects associated can cause of morbidity, non-adherence to prescribed therapy and mortality. HIV drugs can increase mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion/mutation/deletion through pressure on polymerase gamma, the enzyme responsible for mtDNA replication. In addition, some HIV drugs can inhibit telomerase, the enzyme complex elongating telomeric DNA. MtDNA damage and telomere shortening have been associated with diseases and aging.
Current Projects In My Lab Include
- Antiretroviral mitochondrial toxicity and telomere attrition in infants born to HIV-infected mothers.
- Antiretroviral mitochondrial toxicity and telomere attrition in HIV-infected adults and children, as well as during pregnancy.These two projects study the toxicity of the drug in pregnant HIV infected women and their infants, two populations who are particularly vulnerable to drug-related toxicity. The longitudinal effect of HIV therapy on mtDNA quantity and telomere length in mother and child and the potential effect on mtDNA quality in the children are being investigated.
- Mitochondrial toxicity in HIV/hepatitis C virus co-infection antiviral therapy. The HIV/HCV coinfected population is also at higher risk of drug-related adverse events as liver damage cause by both viruses and the drugs add up. We are studying the effect of antiviral drugs on the liver mitochondria in patients undergoing HCV therapy, as well as the effect of therapy on drug metabolism by the liver.
Other lab interests:
- Mitochondrial toxicity of non-HIV drugs such as statins
- Acquired mitochondrial disease-like syndromes