The Quebec government awards $13.9 million to IRIC for the development of new drugs against cancer and other medical conditions
Montréal, February 14, 2014 – The Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montreal (UdeM) received an award of $13.9 million from the “Fonds de partenariat pour un Québec innovant et en santé” (FPQIS) to develop new drugs against cancer and other medical conditions, in collaboration with, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck, two biopharmaceutical companies.
The award was announced by the Minister of Finance and the Economy, Nicolas Marceau, at the “International Symposium on Genomics and Personalized Prevention Health”, held at the Montréal Science Centre on February 14.
Representatives from IRIC and IRICoR
In accordance with FPQIS’ criteria, which were targeted towards collaborative initiatives in personalized healthcare and drug discovery with industry, IRIC will undertake over the next four years a series of projects aimed at improving the health of the population through the development of novel medicines which will improve the performance of the health care system while increasing economic impacts for the province of Québec and for the Institute.
“This good news confirms, once again, the vision of the IRIC and the relevance of our drug development model. It is also a recognition of the importance of the discoveries, technologies and cutting-edge expertise of researchers from our institute”, says Dr. Guy Sauvageau, CEO and Principal Investigator at IRIC and Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal.
The partnership agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb includes drugs identification and optimization with IRIC and Bristol-Myers Squibb researchers. Initiatives developed in collaboration with Merck will support a range of innovative projects in the fields of oncology and immunology, as well as other diseases for which there is no satisfactory treatment.
IRICoR (Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer – Commercialization of Research), whose mission is to accelerate the process of drug discovery at the Université de Montréal, made possible these partnerships.
“IRICoR’s partnership model with the biopharmaceutical industry demonstrates that bringing together the complementary drug discovery expertise at IRIC and at our industry partners will accelerate the development of new medicines and lead to important socio-economic benefits for Quebec”, says Michel Bouvier, President and CEO of IRICoR, Principal Investigator at IRIC and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Université de Montréal.
About the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer
An ultra-modern research hub and training centre located in the heart of the Université de Montreal, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) was created in 2003 to shed light on the mechanisms of cancer and discover new, more effective therapies to counter this disease. IRIC operates according to a model that is unique in Canada. Its innovative approach to research has already led to discoveries that will, over the coming years, have a significant impact on the fight against cancer. For more information: www.iric.ca
About the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer – Commercialization of Research
IRICoR is a not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to accelerate the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs that originate at Université de Montreal’s Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer and related research units. IRICoR, as a Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research, invests in highly innovative projects to rapidly transition them from academia to the market, while identifying the best development partners for these commercially promising projects. For more information: www.iricor.ca
About the Université de Montréal
Deeply rooted in Montreal and dedicated to its international mission, the Université de Montréal is one of the top universities in the French-speaking world. Founded in 1878, the Université de Montréal today has 15 faculties and together with its two affiliated schools, HEC Montréal and École Polytechnique, constitutes the largest centre of higher education and research in Québec and one of the major centres in North America. It brings together 2,500 professors and researchers, accommodates more than 60,000 students. For more information: www.udm.ca
For more information:
Manon Pepin
Communications and Media Relations Director
Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer│IRIC
Université de Montréal
514 842-4035│manon.pepin@iric.ca