MONTREAL, April 29, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ – IRICoR is proud to be one of 14 partners who contributed to the first edition of the EFFERVESCENCE – The future of life sciences event, held on April 24th and 25th at TOHU. This major event, developed for the Life Sciences and Health Technologies sector, is undoubtedly the new business meeting not-to-be-missed for all of the key players in the field.
Scientific and business hive
This first edition of EFFERVESCENCE brought together more than 550 people, researchers, companies and players in the Life Sciences sector, offering them a unique opportunity to meet, to build business relationships and to discover the latest innovations in the industry, all in a stimulating experiential universe. Close to 50 renowned speakers offered inspirational lectures. They included ecologist and author Steven Guilbeault, as the opening keynote speaker, who addressed the challenges that the Life Sciences and Health Technologies sector will face in connection with climate change. Political figures Mr. Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of the Economy and Innovation, and Ms. Danielle McCann, Minister of Health and Social Services, also took the floor.
Advances and issues related to cancer research
As part of this unique event, IRICoR, in concert with IRIC and the Oncopole, came together to propose a friendly debate surrounding the advances and issues related to cancer research, which was led by Esther Bégin, journalist and host. This debate took the form of verbal sparring and featured players from the fields of research, journalism and the public sphere, notably Anne Marinier and Sébastien Lemieux (Principal Investigators at IRIC), Michel Rochon and Yanick Villedieu (science communicators and both former Radio-Canada journalists), René Villemure (ethicist) and Jida El Hajjar (Vice-President, Investment and Health Promotion, Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation).
Four questions were addressed during this session devoted to oncology:
- Scientific oncology-related data: should it all be shared?
- Advantages, risks and issues related to scientific communication in oncology
- How to distinguish necessary treatments from futile medical care in a society that is becoming more geriatric?
- Should the funding of academic research by the pharmaceutical industry be demonized?
“We are delighted by the lively and highly relevant discussions generated during our session,” said Nadine Beauger, IRICoR’s CEO, “I’m proud that IRICoR has actively contributed to co-creating the future of Life Sciences in Quebec, in an inspired and innovative climate. This first edition of EFFERVESCENCE was a great success and we are already looking forward to getting involved in the next edition.”
About IRICoR
As a project maturation cluster in the field of drug discovery, IRICoR is a not-for-profit organization based at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal. IRICoR’s mandate is to accelerate the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies in cancer, immunotherapy, and related fields. Since 2008, IRICoR has been successfully investing in and supporting selected cutting-edge projects in order to rapidly translate early-stage innovation into potential new therapies, through either co-development partnerships with the biopharmaceutical industry or the creation of spin-off companies. IRICoR seamlessly integrates its business-related expertise with access to industry-level drug discovery capabilities, providing selected academic and industry projects with access to its network of experts and cutting-edge infrastructure, including one of the largest academia-based medicinal chemistry groups in Canada. IRICoR’s major funding sources include the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program of the Canadian government, the Ministère de l’Économie, de la Science et de l’Innovation du Québec (MESI), and collaborative partnerships with the biopharmaceutical industry.