Vincent Poitout, Director of research, CHUM Scientific director, CRCHUM

Frédéric Abergel, President and chief executif officer, CHUM

University of Toronto, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research InstituteMount Sinai Hospital - Toronto The evolving landscape of GLP-1-based therapies for metabolic disorders Summary: GLP-1 receptor agonists are approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity and reduce rates of cardiovascular disease. This lecture will provide an overview of how these drugs work, highlighting mechanistic areas of uncertainty, and an update on late stage clinical activity with new molecules and clinical indications Biography: Dr. Daniel Drucker is an Endocrinologist and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at University of Toronto. He holds the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre-Novo Nordisk Chair in Incretin Biology. His laboratory is based in the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and studies the molecular biology and physiology of the glucagon-like peptides. Dr. Drucker received training in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology from the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and the University of Toronto, followed by a fellowship in molecular endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital. His discoveries have enabled development of several new therapies for the treatment of diabetes, obesity and intestinal failure. Drucker has received numerous international awards for his translational science and has been elected to Fellowship in the Royal Society (London) and the National Academy of Sciences (USA).

Sessions
Français

Develop your own ideas, advance medical knowledge, learn, teach, lead a research group, find funding to carry out your projects: the career of an academic researcher is exhilarating! Is it more complicated today to succeed in your research career? What are the best practices to adopt? Our panelists will share their experiences, key success factors and the challenges encountered to fuel your reflection on advancing your career in academic research. Facilitator Nathalie Grandvaux, PhD Associate scientific director Student and postdoctoral affairs, CRCHUMProfessor, Department of biochemistry and molecular medicine, Université de Montréal Speakers Ekat Kritikou, PhD Vice-Dean, Research and Development, Faculty of Medecine, Université de Montréal Simon Grandjean Lapierre, MD, MSc, FRCPC Internist & Infectious diseases specialist and Medical microbiologist Laboratory, Department of medicine, CHUMAssistant professor, Department of microbiology, infectiology and immunology, Université de Montréal Catherine Larochelle, MD, PhD Clinical associate professor, Department of neuroscience, Université de Montréal,Demyelinating disorders clinic, CHUM Gareth Lim, PhD Assistant professor under grant, Department of medicine, Université de MontréalChairholder Canada Research Chair, Adipocyte Development

Chair, Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland Sex Differences in the Brain: Intersection of the Endocrine, Immune and Nervous System The relative risk of developing a neuropsychiatric or neurological disorder is not the same for males and females, with boys being substantially more likely to be diagnosed with developmental disorders such as autism, attention and hyperactivity disorders and early onset schizophrenia while woman are more likely to experience major depression, anxiety, eating disorders, autoimmunity, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The substantial gender bias in disease risk which varies across the life span compels us to understand the etiology of sex differences in the nervous system. Using the laboratory rat we have discovered novel mechanisms involving the innate immune system of the brain and its regulation by steroid hormones which differ in developing males and females and enduringly sculpt the neuroarchitecture to modulate social behaviors in adolescence and adulthood. The multiplicity of factors engaged in neurodevelopment of sex differences increases the potential nodes for dysregulation and therapeutic intervention. Biography: Margaret (Peg) McCarthy received a PhD from the Institute of Animal Behavior at Rutgers University, Newark NJ, completed postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University and was a National Research Council Fellow at NIH-NIAAA before joining the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1993. She was a Professor in the Department of Physiology before becoming the Chair of the Department of Pharmacology in 2011. McCarthy has a long-standing interest in the cellular mechanisms establishing sex differences in the brain. She uses a combined behavioral and mechanistic approach in the laboratory rat to understand both normal brain development and how these processes might go selectively awry in males versus females. She has published over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has been cited close to 10,000 times. Margaret is the inaugural Director of the University of Maryland School - Medicine Institute for Neuroscience Discovery (UM-MIND). She is a Reviewing Editor for Journal of Neuroscience and eLife and a fellow with AAAS and ACNP, former President of Organization for the Study of Sex Differences and current President of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology.

Professor, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, NY SARS-CoV-2 in the City In the presentation Dr. Simon will summarize her work on pathogen surveillance in a large metropolitan health care system with a special emphasis on SARS-CoV-2. Biography: Dr. Viviana Simon is Professor of Microbiology, Medicine and Pathology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) in New York City, USA. She co-directs the Mount Sinai Center for Vaccine Research and Pandemic Preparedness. Professor Simon is an international leader in virology and infectious diseases who has the scientific and translational skills needed to tackle big problems in medicine. She is an Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and serves as an Editor for the Journal of Virology. Professor Simon’s research provides novel solutions to infectious diseases with high public health concern by bridging basic research and translational medicine. Her work has shaped our understanding of HIV persistence, virus-host interactions and immune responses to viral infections. Her group has been at the forefront of SARS-CoV-2 research since the very beginning of the pandemic when NYC emerged as an early epicenter. Her multidisciplinary team has provided and continues to provide much needed knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 immunity in the context of evolving viral diversity.

Sessions
Anglais

The future of bifunctional molecules as a therapeutic modality is promising. These molecules are designed to induce proximity and interactions between two specific therapeutic targets of interest. Depending on the proteins targeted, this induced proximity can lead to many different therapeutic approaches, including targeted protein degradation, activation of specific proteins or the targeting of a particular cell type. Their ability to create specific and synergistic interactions between their targets paves the way for more effective personalized therapies to combat a variety of diseases, including cancer, inflammatory diseases and neurological disorders. Bifunctional molecules have the potential to revolutionize the medical landscape, and as such, could play a key role in improving healthcare in the future. Facilitator Véronique Dugas, PhD, MBA Vice-president, Scientific affairs, CQDM Speakers Cameron Black, PhDEVP Discovery, Repare Therapeutic Anthony Rullo, PhDAssociate Professor, Department of Medicine, McMaster University Daniel Simard, Research Investigator, Sanofi Jamal Daoud, PhD M.E.Sc.Founder and Executive Director of Galenvs Sciences

Senior Executive Director, Research, BC Cancer Research Institute Professor, Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia Title Radiolabeled peptides in oncology - from bench to bedside Summary There is a major renaissance in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals in oncology, fueling research and driving investments and growth in the field of nuclear oncology. In this presentation, we will review the radiopharmaceutical drug development process, from initial concept to introduction into clinical trials. The first step is the identification of a suitable protein target, which must be selectively expressed on cancer cells, ideally abundantly overexpressed at the cell membrane or be present at high concentration in the tumour microenvironment. We will review real-world examples of various iterative steps involved in the optimization of peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals, We will subsequently discuss the regulatory path required to translate novel radiopharmaceuticals into early phase clinical trials and towards commercialization. Biography François Bénard is a distinguished scientist at the BC Cancer Research Institute and Professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of British Columbia. He holds the BC Leadership Chair in Functional Cancer Imaging. As a clinician scientist, his research interests are in positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear medicine, cancer imaging and radiopharmaceutical therapy. His team developed several new radiopharmaceuticals targeting tumour receptors, notably peptides and small molecule ligands. He initiated the program that developed cyclotron production of 99mTc, which completed clinical trials at multiple sites in Canada. He has established extensive multidisciplinary collaborations, and he and his colleagues were awarded the 2015 Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering by NSERC. He is the principal investigator of a new $23.7M Canadian initiative entitled ‘Rare Isotopes to Transform Cancer Therapy’, funded by the New Frontiers in Research Fund - Transformation program.

Sessions
Français

This session brings together renowned speakers from the research and the clinical worlds to explore different ways of implementing the MSSS Action Plan on Rare Diseases. Speakers from various UHCs in Quebec will be proposing concrete ways of collaborating to improve healthcare services and optimize and share available research resources. Facilitator Éric Samarut, PhD, MBA, Associate professor, Université de Montréal Speakers Isabelle Bourdeau, MD Researcher, Cardiometabolic Theme, CRCHUM Full Professor, Université de Montréal’s Department of Medicine Endocrinologist, CHUM Director of the multidisciplinary quaternary adrenal tumour team, CHUM Martine Tétreault Researcher, Neuroscience theme, CRCHUM Assistant professorDepartment of neuroscienceUniversity of Montreal Vincent Ferreti, PhD Researcher, Medicine faculty, Department of biochemistry and molecular medicine, University of MontrealDirector of Digital Platforms, Génome Québec,Researcher, CHU Sainte-Justine, immune diseases and cancers axis Daniel Sinnett, PhD Director of research and innovation, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Ile-de-Montréal, Professor, Departments of Pediatrics and Biochemistry at the Université de Montréal, Scientific director of the research programme on precision medicine in paediatric oncology, Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine

Sessions
Français

It is through their research projects that healthcare professionals play an active role in the evolution of treatment plans. These optimized treatments will be made available to patients once they have been approved by Health Canada and adopted into healthcare processes. We'll be discussing inspiring examples in the field of precision oncology, from clinical research to the management of practice change in the healthcare network. Facilitator Réjean Lapointe, PhD Theme leader Cancer, CRCHUM Full Professor, Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal Speakers Mark Basik, MD Researcher, Institut Lady DavisAssistant Professor, Surgery and oncology departments, Université McGill Rahima Jamal, MD, FRCPC. Hematologist and Medical OncologistAssistant Professor of Medicine, Université de MontréalMedical Director, Therapeutic Innovations Unit, CRCHUM Vanessa Samouelian, MD, PhD Assistant clinical professor, Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal Arnaud Blanchet Saint-Pierre, MD Hemato-oncologist, CISSS Bas-St-Laurent et Gaspésie

Sessions
Bilingue

Description La session "Données inexplorées" plonge au cœur de l'océan des données de santé, mettant en lumière des trésors souvent négligés mais cruciaux pour la recherche médicale moderne. À une époque où la médecine de précision, les essais cliniques, la génomique et l'imagerie médicale ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives, l'importance d'une exploration approfondie des données n'a jamais été aussi primordiale. Alors que la génomique nous aide à décrypter notre code génétique en vue de traitements personnalisés, et que l'imagerie médicale nous offre une vision plus détaillée de nos pathologies, c'est avant tout la volonté d'explorer les données à travers une perspective humaine et inclusive qui permettra d'optimiser les thérapies futures. Le projet FLAIR (First Languages AI Reality) sera également mis de l'avant pour illustrer comment la technologie peut contribuer à la préservation de notre patrimoine linguistique. Tout comme notre ADN renferme les secrets de notre hérédité et de notre santé, les langues portent en elles l'essence d'une culture, d'une histoire et d'un savoir. Que ce soit pour sauvegarder une langue ou pour optimiser une thérapie, la valorisation des données passe par la compréhension et la protection de ce qui fait de nous des êtres humains uniques. Facilitator Anne Nguyen, Chief Health Data Officer, CHUM Speakers Josette-Renée Landry, President and CEO, Génome Québec Michaël Chassé, Scientific Director of the CHUM Centre for The Integration and Analysis of Medical Data (CITADEL) Michael Running Wolf, AI ethicist, and Founder of Indigenous in AI

Speech by the Rector of the University of Montreal, Mr. Daniel Jutras Let's celebrate the 10th anniversary of the consolidation of research activities at the CRCHUM in downtown Montreal.