IRIC Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Université de Montréal

A global standard bearer in basic and applied research to vanquish cancer

A unique model

IRIC, located in the heart of the Université de Montréal campus, operates according to a unique model in Canada that combines, under one roof, fundamental research activities, a university-level training program and a research maturation team. These generate discoveries that advance knowledge or that can quickly translate into new therapeutic solutions.

  • News

    Genome-wide screens reveal that resveratrol induces replicative stress in human cells

    Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural compound found in many plants, including the skin of grapes (and in wine), blueberries, raspberries, mulberries and peanuts. It has attracted considerable research attention due to its reported beneficial properties in experimental models such as yeasts, nematode worms, fruit flies and mice, including lifespan extension under certain conditions. A causal role of RSV in human health has not yet been established.

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  • News

    2020 IRIC Next Generation Awards Competition: a successful edition in the midst of a pandemic

    As always, IRIC is actively involved in training the next generation of scientists. That’s why, since 2011, the Institute has made it possible for Canadian undergraduate students to carry out a summer internship in one of its laboratories as part of the IRIC Next Generation Awards Competition. This summer, however, the unique health context and teleworking have upended the training of these research interns.

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  • News

    Targeting cell surface proteins and copper in the fight against colorectal cancer

    In some cases, taking the direct path is not the most effective. A study led by the team of Philippe Roux, in collaboration with the teams of Louis Gaboury and Sylvain Meloche of IRIC, indeed reveals that the oncogenic protein KRAS could be targeted indirectly. Recently published in Nature Communications, their results demonstrate that mutation of this oncogene modifies the expression of proteins at the surface of the cells that cover the internal villi of the intestine. This study offers new therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

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  • News

    The project carried out by Sylvie Mader and her team receives the LeadAction|Breast Cancer du Sein grant

    While the pandemic has highlighted the importance of supporting scientific research, IRICoR and the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation (QBCF) have joined forces through their joint LeadAction|Breast Cancer Competition to accelerate breast cancer research work and develop additional therapeutic options for those affected by this cancer.

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  • News

    The lockdown related to COVID-19 severely affected early-career investigators and clinical trials

    The research sectors particularly impacted by the pandemic are beginning to be identified. David Knapp, Principal Investigator at IRIC, in collaboration with David G. Kent (University of York) and Nagarajan Kannan (Mayo Clinic), highlight the consequences of the health crisis on early-career investigators and clinical trials. The analysis stems from data collected by a survey shared by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) among its members. Carried out between April 6 and April 15, 2020, 762 investigators from 52 countries responded. Here is a look back at this analysis published in Stem Cell Reports and on the main issues that were raised.

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  • News

    Céline Laumont, IRIC Ph.D. graduate, is awarded a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship

    Following the 2019-2020 Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Competition, Céline Laumont, IRIC Ph.D. graduate, received a prestigious award for her project “B cell-mediated immunity in high-grade serous ovarian cancer”.

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  • News

    IRIC is pleased to mark more than 10 years of partnership with Pomerleau and acknowledges its outstanding support

    On June 1, 2020, Pomerleau, one of Canada’s most innovative construction leaders and a pioneer in sustainable buildings and renewable energy, launched its “Love is an essential service” initiative to support efforts to fight COVID-19. As part of that initiative, philanthropic donations were distributed to 14 community organizations across the country working in three major sectors of activity related to the current health crisis, namely: health, research and food. As a result, IRIC has been allocated a substantial amount, deposited into the Institute’s Emergency Fund, to allow its investigators to continue their research activities in a bold and unique way, despite the constraints stemming from the pandemic.

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  • News

    Race for the discovery of COVID-19 medications: A multidisciplinary project takes shape!

    Génome Québec, in partnership with IRIC, Université de Montréal, Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute and McMaster University, is proud to announce funding for a new research project intended to accelerate the discovery of antiviral COVID-19 medications. Spearheaded by professors Michael Tyers (IRIC / Université de Montréal), Yoshua Bengio (Mila / Université de Montréal) and Anne Marinier (IRIC / Université de Montréal), the $1 million project was launched in fast-track mode on June 1, 2020.

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  • News

    IRIC broadens its ranks by recruiting David Knapp and Geneviève Deblois as new Principal Investigators

    The Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal is proud to announce that David Knapp and Geneviève Deblois have been recruited as new Principal Investigators. They are in charge, respectively, of the Cellular Engineering Research Unit and the Metabolic and Epigenetic Alterations in Cancer Research Unit.

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  • News

    IRIC’s Emergency Fund: Thank you to all of our allies!

    A few weeks ago, IRIC launched an Emergency Fund in response to the health crisis created by the pandemic, in order to support research efforts to fight cancer and, exceptionally, to fight COVID-19. While the initial phases of deconfinement have been announced, and economic activity is slowly beginning to start up again and we can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, IRIC is also beginning to gather its thoughts on an optimistic note.

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Latest publications

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  • July 20, 2020

    IFN-λ Enhances Constitutive Expression of MHC Class I Molecules on Thymic Epithelial Cells.

    Benhammadi M, Mathé J, Dumont-Lagacé M, Kobayashi KS, Gaboury L, Brochu S, Perreault C
    J. Immunol. 2020-07-20 ;.

  • July 10, 2020

    Structure of the DOCK2-ELMO1 complex provides insights into regulation of the auto-inhibited state.

    Chang L, Yang J, Jo CH, Boland A, Zhang Z, McLaughlin SH, Abu-Thuraia A, Killoran RC, Smith M, Côté JF, Barford D
    Nat Commun 2020-07-10 ;11( 1 ):3464.

  • July 1, 2020

    Factorized embeddings learns rich and biologically meaningful embedding spaces using factorized tensor decomposition.

    Trofimov A, Cohen JP, Bengio Y, Perreault C, Lemieux S
    Bioinformatics 2020-07-01 ;36( Supplement_1 ):i417-i426.

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