A Pillar of the IRCM Celebrates His 90th Birthday
NB: This series of encounters highlights the diversity of the members of the IRCM community, the variety of their expertise and the depth of their commitment to their respective roles
This month, the Face of the IRCM is dedicated to a true pillar of our Institute and is, exceptionally, written entirely in the third person. We are highlighting a leading scientist with a foundational role at the IRCM, who is marking an important milestone in his life. Dr. Michel Chrétien is a familiar and respected figure within our community.
Physician, researcher, and builder, Dr. Michel Chrétien embodies a major figure in Québec and Canadian biomedical science. Born in Shawinigan in 1936 into a large family where commitment and perseverance were core values, he chose medicine early on out of a deep desire to help and to understand. Trained at the Université de Montréal, McGill University, Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Salk Institute, he developed a rare approach at the intersection of clinical practice and fundamental research.
After joining the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) in 1967, he founded Québec’s first protein chemistry laboratory. That same year, he proposed an idea that would profoundly transform biology: the prohormone theory, which posits that many hormones are produced from inactive precursors that are activated by “molecular scissors.” This visionary insight opened an entirely new scientific field—functional endoproteolysis.
Over the decades, Dr. Chrétien and his collaborators have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge. Their work has had tangible impacts on the understanding and treatment of diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders.
One of the world’s most cited scientists in the 1980s, author of more than 600 publications, a generous mentor, and a passionate advocate for public funding of research, Michel Chrétien also left a lasting mark on the IRCM as Scientific Director and as a deeply human leader. Recipient of numerous distinctions, including the Armand Frappier Award, he remains driven by a simple and powerful conviction: research is a collective necessity, in the service of human health and dignity.
“Move or rust!” – a motto often quoted by Dr. Chrétien
Thank you, Dr. Chrétien, for your immense contributions, and happy birthday from our entire community!
