13e Symposium RRCancer & MOH-Q

Name: 13e Symposium RRCancer & MOH-Q
Start: 2026-09-30T16:00:00Z
End: 2026-10-02T20:45:00Z
Location: CHUM- Amplithéâtre Pierre-Péladeau

CHUM- Amplithéâtre Pierre-Péladeau

September 30 to October 2, 2026

Registration Submission

The Quebec cancer research network (RRCancer, Oncopole), in partnership with the Marathon of Hope Québec (MOH-Q, TFRI), welcomes you to its 13^th biennial symposium. This year, the organizing committee has decided to offer a hybrid format to ensure that all RRCancer members (and future members!) can attend the meeting. We will host the in-person meeting at the Pierre-Péladeau amphitheater (CHUM, 1050 St-Denis St. Montreal (Champ-de-Mars metro station)

Student members day : Wednesday, September 30th 2026
Symposium open to all RRCancer members : Thursday October 1^st and Friday 2^nd October 2026

Registration

The RRCancer is committed to making its Symposium as accessible as possible. However, in order to address the increasing costs associated with organizing such an event, we have decided to request a minimal contribution to attend. Fees vary depending on your membership status. To find out your status, or to become a member, please visit our website: https://www.rrcancer.ca/en/membership/

Student members : 50$
Partner members : 75$
Regular members : 100$
Patients partenaires : 0$

The conferences will be divided into different sessions on the following themes

Preclinical Models, Translational, and Clinical Research
Molecular Mechanisms
Targeted Therapies and Immunotherapies
MOH-Q and Multiomics
Learning Equitable System
Microenvironment and Environmental Factors

Symposium Objectives

To enable the development and training of students, post-doctoral fellows, and medical residents by allowing them to present their research
To promote scientific discussion and foster new collaborations
To inform members of the major ongoing structuring projects in oncology
To maximize interactions between new researchers and other Network members by allowing them to showcase their research interests through pre-recorded video clips and oral presentations
To integrate patient partners within our research programs and network

Financial support

This event is sponsored by the Réseau de recherche sur le cancer, a thematic network supported by Oncopole, the Cancer hub of the Fonds de recherche du Québec secteur Santé, as well as the Quebec breast cancer foundation. Once again this year, the symposium will be in partnership with the Marathon of Hope-Quebec. In addition, the generous support of our sponsors has made it possible to organize this conference at a minimal cost for network members. We invite you to visit the sponsors’ page to acknowledge and appreciate their commitment.

Wishing you all an excellent 2026 Symposium! The organizing committee co-chaired by Julianna Blagih et François Bordeleau, with the precious participation of Sonia del Rincon, Anastasia Gherghi (student committee), Jean-Yves Masson, Luciana Melo Garcia, Samuel Montiege, Véronique Ouellet, Kim Sutherland (patient partner committee), and Martin Vallières.

Keynote Speaker

Michael J. Mitchell, Ph. D.Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania Expert in lipid nanoparticles and RNA therapeutic delivery

Dr. Michael J. Mitchell leads a research program focused on engineering lipid and polymeric nanoparticles capable of overcoming biological barriers to deliver nucleic acids—such as mRNA, siRNA, and CRISPR systems—to specific tissues and cells throughout the body. His work aims to advance next‑generation platforms for cancer immunotherapy, mRNA vaccines, genome editing, cardiovascular medicine, and regenerative therapeutics by developing highly targeted and efficient RNA delivery systems.

An Associate Professor since 2023 in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, he also leads the Lipid Nanoparticle Delivery Systems Group and directs the Lipid Nanoparticle Synthesis Core at the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, while contributing to numerous research centers including the Abramson Cancer Center and the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies. Trained at Cornell (Ph.D.) and later at MIT as an NIH NCI F32 postdoctoral fellow, he has received major recognitions such as the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and was named among the Top 1% Highly Cited Researchers (Clarivate Analytics, 2024).

Invited Speakers - RRCancer Regular Members

Lynn Gauthier, Ph. D.University Researcher, Oncology Axis, CHU de Québec - Université Laval Research Centre Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Chair, Palliative Care Research, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval

Lee‑Hwa Tai, Ph. D.Full Professor, Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke Researcher.  Director of the Cancer Axe, CRCHUS

Mélica Brodeur, M.D., M.Sc., FRCSCAssistant Professor, Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Oncology, McGill University Gynecologic Oncologist and Principal Investigator, Jewish General Hospital & Lady Davis Institute

Jean-Marc Bourque M.D., FRCPC, MScPHRadiation Oncologist and Associate Professor, CHUM Clinician Scientist, CRCHUM. Adjunct Professor, ESPUM

Elena Kuzmin, Ph. D.Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Synthetic and Functional Genomics Faculty Member, Centre for Applied Synthetic Biology (CASB)

Julia Burnier, Ph. D.Principal Investigator, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI‑MUHC) Expert in liquid biopsy and cancer evolution

Simon F. Roy, M.D., M.H.Sc.Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, McGill University Dermatopathologist and Clinician‑Investigator Principal Investigator, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI)

Laura Hulea, Ph. D.Associate Professor (on grant), Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Université de Montréal Head of the CR-HMR Research Unit: Regulation of Cellular Metabolism and RNA Translation

Loïc Binan, Ph. D.Assistant Professor, Department of Human Genetics, McGill University Principal Investigator, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research Principal Investigator, Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health

Hannah Garner, Ph. D.Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology (MIMM) Member, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI), McGill University

Mathias Cavaillé, M.D., Ph. D.Clinical Researcher, Oncology Division, Research Center of the CHU de Québec - Université Laval Assistant Clinical Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval

Alexandre Pellan Cheng, Ph. D.Professor, Department of Systems Engineering, ÉTS Montréal Scientist (Cancer), CHUM Research Centre Member of LIO‑ÉTS and iTechSanté Research Units

Lucie D'Amours, B.A.A.Q-CROC (Consortium de recherche en oncologie clinique du Québec), General Manager

Eva Villalba, M.B.A., MSc., VBHCQuebec Cancer Coalition, Executive Director

Le Dr Houman Savoji est professeur‑chercheur adjoint à l’Université de Montréal et chercheur à temps plein au Centre de recherche du CHU Sainte‑Justine. Il est également investigateur principal à l’Institut TransMedTech, où il dirige des travaux en médecine régénérative, organes sur puces, bio‑impression 3D et biomatériaux fonctionnels. Titulaire d’un doctorat en génie biomédical de Polytechnique Montréal, il a ensuite effectué un stage postdoctoral à l’Institut de biomatériaux et de génie biomédical de l’Université de Toronto. Ses recherches combinent des technologies de fabrication avancée — micro‑ et nano‑fabrication, bio‑impression, microfluidique, électrofilage — avec des matériaux fonctionnels innovants pour développer des plateformes et dispositifs en génie tissulaire et en médecine régénérative. Lauréat de nombreuses distinctions prestigieuses (IRSC, FRQNT, SVC Foundation), le Dr Savoji a contribué à plusieurs projets majeurs, publié dans des revues à comité de lecture, présenté ses travaux à l’international et produit des rapports techniques destinés aux instances gouvernementales. Son laboratoire vise à concevoir, optimiser et caractériser des biomatériaux et technologies émergentes pour répondre aux besoins critiques en ingénierie biomédicale et en santé.

Houman Savoji, Ph. D.Adjunct Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal Researcher, CHU Sainte‑Justine Research Center Principal Investigator, TransMedTech Institute