Thierry Alquier

Thierry Alquier is an Associate Professor at the University of Montreal in the Departments of Medicine, Pathology and Cell Biology, and Biochemistry. He serves as Scientific Director of the Rodent Metabolic Phenotyping Platform at the CHUM Research Center and leads the Cardiometabolic Axis there. Additionally, he co-directs the Montreal Diabetes Research Center. His research focuses on hypothalamic mechanisms governing energy balance, particularly how neurons and astrocytes detect metabolic signals like glucose and fatty acids, and their roles in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Alquier employs in vitro and in vivo models to investigate nutrient sensing pathways and their impact on food intake and metabolic regulation.

• Roles: Scientific Director, Associate Professor, Co-Director (Montreal Diabetes Research Center)
• Key Research Themes: Hypothalamic nutrient sensing, astrocyte-neuron communication, metabolic pathologies
• Labs/Teams: Cardiometabolic Axis (CHUM Research Center), Montreal Diabetes Research Center

His work combines biochemistry, molecular biology (e.g., Cre-Lox gene invalidation), and rodent metabolic phenotyping to study how nutrient metabolism in hypothalamic cells influences energy balance. Recent studies highlight roles of lipid droplets, microglial regulation, and sex-specific metabolic responses in obesity and diabetes pathogenesis.