The IRCM highlighted at Effervescence, a major event on the future of life sciences

The IRCM highlighted at Effervescence, a major event on the future of life sciences

More than 550 participants – representatives of the life science industry, researchers, students and institutional professionals - took part in Effervescence, the very first major event in Montreal on the future of life sciences in Quebec, on April 24 and 25 at TOHU. More than 215 B2B (business to business) meetings have been identified, offering registrants the opportunity to exchange with potential partners about business opportunities, project financing or collaborative projects.

Throughout this successful first edition, representatives of the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) participated in several conferences, illustrating the wealth of talent of the IRCM community. IRCM students were able to benefit from training in professional networking and career development.

The IRCM continues the discussion on rare and orphan diseases

Sophie Bernard, Acting Vice President, Clinical and Clinical Research, and Director of the Genetic Dyslipidemia Clinic, and Cynthia Turcotte, a patient at the IRCM clinic, participated in a plenary session which brought together the various stakeholders in the sector of rare diseases.

Organized by the IRCM and the Centre of Excellence in Orphan Disease Research - Courtois Fondation (CERMO-FC), the plenary session was moderated by Sophie-Andrée Blondin, science journalist and host of Les années lumière on ICI Radio-Canada Première, and also included Jacques Michaud, Chief of Division of Medical Genetics at CHU Sainte-Justine, Nicolas Pilon, Director of the CERMO-FC, Marina Vasiliou, Vice President and Managing Director of Biogen Canada, and Gail Ouellette, President of the Regroupement québécois des maladies orphelines. The IRCM would like to take this opportunity to thank Biogen Canada and Vertex, sponsors of the plenary session.

The objective of this meeting was to demonstrate the importance of implementing a Quebec policy on rare and orphan diseases and the need for the various stakeholders in the sector to work together to develop integrated intervention approaches. 

The expertise of research infrastructure put forward

The academic core facilities also had the opportunity to discuss their role as research partners. Among the institutional representatives, Judith Cotton-Montpetit, Director of the IRCM’s Core Facilities and Research Infrastructure, gave an overview of the variety of resources and equipment available at the Institute as well as its invaluable state-of-the-art expertise.

An IRCM research project stepped into the ring

Established by the Amorchem stage venture fund, KNOCK OUT is an activity during which university researchers showcase the potential of their work to a panel of pharmaceutical experts in order to qualify for $500,000 in AmorChem funding. Tarik Möröy, Director of the IRCM's Hematopoiesis and Cancer Research Unit, was among the three finalist researchers to take on this unique challenge.

Mathieu Ferron wins an Étoiles Effervescence award

Effervescence also highlighted 10 young and talented Quebec university researchers who distinguished themselves through their research and their partnerships with the life sciences industry. Mathieu Ferron, Director of the IRCM’s Molecular Physiology Research Unit, was among these promising new talents and was honoured with an Étoiles Effervescence award. During the event, he also provided an overview of his work, which aims to better understand the physiological roles played by bone tissue and the pancreas, and could ultimately lead to more effective treatments for diabetes and obesity.

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