Les Rendez-vous Audace 2021: $320,000 raised to support IRIC’s cancer research efforts

Exceptionally this year, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal presented a virtual formula of its traditional Audacious fundraising event: Les Rendez-vous Audace. For the occasion, approximately 615 people from 8 countries attended the three free conferences and close to 20 sponsors supported the event. Thanks to the generosity of our partners and donors, a total of $320,000 was raised to accelerate the discovery of better therapies for the benefit of patients.

Lecture by Dr. Roger D. Kornberg – Nobel Prize in Chemistry

On May 20th, IRIC and the Université de Montréal will have the honour of welcoming Dr. Roger D. Kornberg, Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2006.  He will present a lecture titled “Chromosome Structure and Transcription”.

Genome-wide screens identify a novel gene that tapers the DNA damage response in human cells with eroded telomeres

Telomeres are DNA sequences that serve as critical caps to protect the ends of chromosomes against degradation, fraying, and fusion with other chromosomes. They play an important role in maintaining genome integrity but in most cells in our body, telomeres become shorter with each cell division as the activity of the telomere maintenance enzyme (TERT) is repressed. After sufficient telomere shortening, the protective telomere structure is lost, activating the tumor-suppressor gene p53 and the DNA damage response. This leads to a non-proliferative state in normal cells called senescence, or to cell death in cancer cells. These inhibitory effects upon cell proliferation are thought to be an important mechanism to prevent the proliferation of damaged cells and the formation of tumors.

A pathogenic yeast has many tricks up its sleeve

Infections with the yeast Candida albicans are a significant public health problem and a common complication in immunocompromised individuals such as people with AIDS, chemotherapy patients, and organ transplant patients. Although there are some treatments, their effectiveness can be compromised by the emergence of resistant strains and the identification of new antifungals is highly desirable. A few years ago, an IRIC team identified nicotinamide (NAM), a form of vitamin B3, as a potential antifungal treatment.

Talk from Guy Sauvageau at the CCMM

Leveraging innovation and collaboration to accelerate scientific discoveries in oncology

Spatiotemporal coordination: a key aspect allowing cells to divide correctly

Enzymes that regulate cell division must be subjected to spatiotemporal control, allowing them to access the cellular structures they control only at the appropriate time. The segregation of chromosomes during mitosis is the most crucial event of cell division. Spatiotemporal coordination is therefore fundamental to the good progress of mitosis but it remains poorly understood.

TMEM16F: a protein with a key role in the regulation of T cell activity

By Fatéma Dodat

Understanding the regulation of T cell activity is crucial for the development of immunity against infections, but also in cancer. A study conducted by the team of Etienne Gagnon reveals that TMEM16F, a molecule that promotes the exchange of components between the lipid bilayer of a cell membrane, is involved in this activation.

One step closer to developing a cancer vaccine

Claude Perreault and his team published an important article related to the development of a therapeutic cancer vaccine for a type of blood cancer.

A new way beckons to treat severe obesity

By Mathieu-Robert Sauvé, UdeM Nouvelles

Michel Bouvier, unveils research that could someday lead to treatment for early morbid familial obesity.

Michel Bouvier, CEO of IRIC, takes part in the Pan-Canadian Showcase on the future of drug discovery and production in Canada

The Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal is proud to announce that Michel Bouvier, CEO of the Institute and recent recipient of the Killam Prize in Health Sciences, is taking part in the virtual event “Building Biotech: Science and Talent Accelerating Biomedical Innovation, a Pan-Canadian Showcase and Dialogue”.The Showcase is being held today, February 17, 2021, and is organized by PRiME at the University of Toronto.

2021 World Cancer Day: Help us vanquish cancer!

February 4 is World Cancer Day. Every year, it’s a day that is celebrated all over the world to highlight the incredible advances in cancer research that help save more and more lives and create undeniable hope. In memory of those we love who have left us too soon or in honour of those who are currently fighting the disease, let’s all highlight this Day, the progress that we have made and the progress left to be made.

Michel Bouvier is the laureate of the 2021 Killam Prize in Health Sciences

Michel Bouvier, CEO of IRIC and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal, is the laureate of the 2021 Killam Prize in Health Sciences.

IRIC Master’s and Ph.D. Scholarships – Recipients of the Fall 2020 Competition

As part of the IRIC Master’s and Ph.D. Scholarships Competition held this fall, the Institute is proud to announce the 17 recipients of this edition.

UM171: the molecule that keeps on giving

In a study published in Cell Stem Cell, a research team of 15 scientists led by UdeM hematologist Guy Sauvageau demonstrates the cancer-fighting molecule’s mechanism of action.

Nanotechnologies: the Bouilly lab reveals important principles in the design of biocaptors

In the past decades, advances in the field of nanotechnology, especially through the discovery and production of new nanomaterials, have catalyzed remarkable innovation in the creation of different biosensors, which are analytical devices used to detect and study the properties of many biological molecules. There are many types of biosensors and it is often difficult to compare their performance and identify the most promising approaches.

Sébastien Lemieux and his team’s project is a recipient of the ODAC Competition

Génome Québec, IVADO and Oncopole have come together to organize the “Omics Data Against Cancer” (ODAC) Competition. This initiative aims to support projects developing applications and artificial intelligence tools used to better exploit the datasets generated by genomics and the study of cancer.

The project of Sébastien Lemieux, Principal Investigator at IRIC and his team is one of the 5 recipient projects of the program.

IRIC’s Academic Affairs team receives the prix d’excellence en enseignement

IRIC is proud to announce that the prix d’excellence en enseignement Catégorie Innovation – Soutien à la réussite étudiante has been awarded to its Academic Affairs team: Sébastien Carréno, Julie Mantovani, Evelyne Muhire, Pascale Le Thérizien. This recognition bestowed by the Vice-Rector of Student and Academic Affairs of the Université de Montréal underscores the outstanding contribution made by the team to student success.

2020 student recruitment tour: a virtual edition this fall

Each fall, the IRIC’s Academic Affairs team launches an “IRIC on the road” student recruitment tour. This year, in the exceptional context caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our representatives are going to meet students virtually. They will participate in several graduate studies fairs organized on the web by various Canadian universities.

A donation benefiting IRIC and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine of the UdeM

As part of a major planned donations campaign, led by the Réseau des diplômés et des donateurs de l’Université de Montréal, Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer of IRIC and his partner, Muriel Aubry, announced their testamentary donation benefiting IRIC and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine of the UdeM, in support of cancer research and the training of the next generation of scientists.

Breaking the RNA capping paradigm

This discovery by a team of IRIC researchers could soon be taught in molecular biology courses. Katherine Borden’s laboratory recently published a study in the journal PNAS that demonstrated that the activity of RNAs can be regulated in a new way: by modulating a RNA modification known as capping.

Three IRIC researchers receive substantial support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation

On August 18, 2020, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced the selected research projects that will benefit from its financial support. This substantial support allows researchers to acquire highly specialized avant-garde equipment and infrastructure, and to recruit and retain internationally renowned scientists.

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.