RNA-Based Medicine and Innovation: an Essential Dialogue for Tomorrow's Therapies
From left to right: Dr. Martin Sauvageau, Dr. Marlene Oeffinger and Dr. Éric Lécuyer
The advent of RNA-based therapies is raising great hopes for personalized medicine, because of their high potential to generate effective solutions to a variety of serious diseases such as certain cancers, as well as rare and degenerative diseases. Particularly since the pandemic, RNA has been on everyone's lips, mobilizing numerous research groups. Yet, its potential remains largely untapped. At the forefront of the field, the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), is bringing together some of the leading experts of the field on May 23 and 24 to discuss RNA-based medicine and innovation.
Co-chaired by researchers Dr. Éric Lécuyer, Dr. Marlene Oeffinger and Dr. Martin Sauvageau, and held in collaboration with McGill University, the meeting will enable speakers and panellists to examine the opportunities and obstacles that accompany the research and development of RNA-based therapies.
“The challenge of giving life to healing research, including in the largely unexplored territory of RNA-based technologies, depends on our ability to create a dialogue between the world of basic research and that of the industry,” said Dr. Jean-François Côté, President and Scientific Director of IRCM, adding : It is in this spirit that we bring together leaders of the field within our walls, to promote conversation between the key players.’’
Montreal has increasingly been positioning itself as the place to be for cutting-edge expertise in biomedical research, and particularly in the field of RNA. Last year, the IRCM unveiled its Sidney-Altman RNA Therapeutic Hub, a vast project for the development of cutting-edge therapeutic approaches designed in close collaboration with the Université de Montréal network, which also brings together the Montreal key players in the field, in the service of life-saving therapies and precision medicine.
