Guy Sauvageau is the principal investigator of the Stem Cell Molecular Genetics Research Unit at IRIC. He is also a hematologist at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital within the bone marrow (stem cell) transplant program. He earned his medical degree and completed his training in hematology at the University of Montreal, then earned his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in the Department of Experimental Medicine (stem cell biology and genetics) under the supervision of Keith Humphries, Peter Lansdorp, and Connie Eaves at the Terry Fox Laboratory. He also holds the Bégin-Plouffe Chair in Chemogenomics at the University of Montreal.
Guy Sauvageau’s team focuses on characterizing the mechanisms by which normal (and leukemic) blood stem cells undergo self-renewal, a process considered essential for the success of stem cell transplantation and leukemic development. By combining genetic, chemical, and bioinformatics tools, members of his laboratory—which has included more than 125 trainees over the past 30 years—have identified several key determinants of this mechanism of action. In particular, this led—in collaboration with Anne Marinier, principal investigator at IRIC’s Drug Discovery Unit—to the development of the small molecule UM171, which promotes the ex vivo expansion of stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood.
This major discovery was successfully translated into clinical practice under the leadership of Sandra Cohen and Jean Roy in Canada, and Filippo Milano in the United States. More than 100 patients have benefited from an expanded transplant using UM171, with exceptional clinical results. In 2023, these data were compiled by ExCellThera, a biotechnology startup co-founded by Guy Sauvageau, to prepare an application for accelerated approval in Europe for patients without a compatible donor.
Guy Sauvageau also leads the Leucegene initiative, co-led by Josée Hébert (cytogeneticist), Anne Marinier (chemist), Vincent Lavallée (clinical molecular geneticist), Sébastien Lemieux (bioinformatician), and several other co-investigators. With significant support from Genome Canada/Québec, Leucegene is one of the largest projects aimed at understanding the genetics of acute myeloid leukemia and advancing new therapeutic approaches to treat the disease.
A collaborative and creative researcher, team builder, and visionary, Guy Sauvageau led the creation of a new systems biology institute at IRIC in 2003, alongside Pierre Chartrand and several other scientists. He served as its scientific director and then as its executive director for 12 years, recruiting 27 principal investigators. He also played a major role as a co-founder of the Montreal Cell Therapy Center at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital alongside Jean Roy and Denis-Claude Roy, as well as a co-founder of the Quebec Leukemia Cell Bank with Josée Hébert (director).
