Institut de recherche en immunologie et en cancérologie

Institut de recherche en immunologie et en cancérologie
Name	Institut de recherche en immunologie et en cancérologie
Established	1987
Type	Research institute
City	Montreal
Province	Quebec
Country	Canada
Affiliations	Université de Montréal, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, McGill University

Institut de recherche en immunologie et en cancérologie is a Montreal-based biomedical research institute focused on immunology and oncology. The institute conducts translational research connecting basic science at Université de Montréal with clinical practice at Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and collaborates with hospitals such as McGill University Health Centre and institutions like National Institutes of Health. It engages with funders and partners including Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Genome Canada, and philanthropic organizations linked to Fondation du CHUM and industry partners such as Pfizer and Roche.

History

The institute was founded in the late 1980s amid growth in cancer research at Université de Montréal and expansion of clinical services at Hôpital Notre-Dame and Hôpital Saint-Luc. Early leadership included investigators connected to laboratories at Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal and collaborations with teams from McGill University and Montreal Neurological Institute. Through the 1990s the institute participated in multicenter trials coordinated with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and consortia involving Institut Pasteur and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer. In the 2000s the institute expanded facilities near Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and forged translational pipelines with biotechnology firms such as Amgen and Novartis.

Mission and Research Focus

The institute's mission emphasizes translational immunology and oncology, bridging discovery science with clinical applications at Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and cancer centers like Jewish General Hospital. Research priorities include tumor immunology, cellular therapies related to technologies pioneered at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, cancer genomics in collaboration with Genome Quebec, and biomarker discovery tied to cohorts from Institut national de santé publique du Québec. The institute aligns with funding frameworks from Canadian Cancer Society and policy priorities discussed at meetings of Gairdner Foundation and Canadian Cancer Research Alliance.

Organization and Leadership

Governance includes a scientific director and an executive committee with researchers from Université de Montréal, clinicians from CHUM Research Centre, and external advisors from institutions such as Harvard Medical School and University of Toronto. Laboratory groups are led by principal investigators trained at centers like Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Salk Institute, and Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. Administrative oversight involves partnerships with Fonds de recherche du Québec and guidance from boards including representatives from McGill University and philanthropic entities like Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute.

Research Programs and Facilities

Programs span cellular immunotherapy, cancer genomics, biomarker development, and preclinical drug discovery with core facilities for flow cytometry, genomics, and imaging modeled after platforms at Broad Institute and European Molecular Biology Laboratory. The institute houses vivaria compliant with standards from Canadian Council on Animal Care and high-throughput sequencing cores using technologies from Illumina and proteomics instrumentation comparable to facilities at European Bioinformatics Institute. Clinical translation occurs through Phase I/II trial units coordinated with CHU Sainte-Justine and oncology clinics affiliated with Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal.

Collaborations and Partnerships

The institute maintains formal collaborations with academic partners including Université Laval, McGill University, Université de Sherbrooke, and international centers such as Institut Pasteur, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Industry partnerships involve companies like Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, and biotechnology firms spin-offs modeled after Entreprises Innovantes Québec. It participates in consortia funded by Genome Canada, networks coordinated by International Cancer Genome Consortium, and clinical trial collaborations with National Cancer Institute and European cooperative groups such as EORTC.

Notable Achievements and Contributions

The institute contributed to advances in tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte characterization building on concepts from James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo and to preclinical development of CAR-T cell approaches informed by work at University of Pennsylvania. Publications from its investigators appeared alongside studies from Nature Medicine, The Lancet Oncology, and Cell, influencing guidelines from bodies like ASCO and ESMO. The institute has helped identify biomarkers later validated by consortia including TCGA and supported licensure of therapeutics developed in partnership with Roche and Novartis. Training programs have produced investigators now at Stanford University, UCSF, and Imperial College London.

Category:Cancer research institutes Category:Research institutes in Quebec Category:Université de Montréal