Our projects

By studying the defective mechanisms of the immune system in individuals with CTLA4 deficiency — a protein essential for its regulation — Dr. Hugues Allard-Chamard realized that his team had just uncovered a breakthrough with major implications for oncology. The published results show that in the absence of CTLA4, B cells become activated prematurely. In other words, the mechanism that normally prevents the immune system from attacking the body’s own organs — and thus from developing an autoimmune disease — no longer functions. This discovery paves the way for developing strategies to prevent the severe autoimmune complications experienced by about 25% of patients receiving ipilimumab — an immunotherapy targeting the CTLA4 protein — to treat advanced cancers such as kidney cancer or melanoma. This breakthrough is particularly significant because these complications can be fatal, even when the treatment is stopped.

• Read the article in the scientific journal Blood Advances

The immune system acts as a guardian, detecting and eliminating cancer cells. But cancer cells have learned to hide. One of their strategies is to stop expressing a key protein called NLRC5. Normally, this protein helps cells display signals that make them visible to immune cells. Using a preclinical fibrosarcoma model, Professors Subburaj Ilangumaran and Sheela Ramanathan have shown that the loss of NLRC5 promotes cancer development and progression. Their discovery highlights the importance of this protein in immune surveillance and  opens a promising avenue for research: restoring NLRC5 to force cancers to become visible again. The team is currently developing innovative NLRC5‑based immunotherapies.

• Read the article in the scientific journal Scandinavian Journal of Immunology

Brain metastases arising from bladder cancer and gynecologic cancers present a major challenge. Not only are they difficult to treat, but their frequency is increasing, because affected patients are now surviving longer than before, giving the disease more time to spread to the brain. Two large‑scale international studies, led by Dr. David Mathieu in collaboration with 10 hospital centers across 5 countries participating in the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation (IRRF), evaluated the effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). This high‑precision technique, performed using a Gamma Knife, focuses high‑energy beams on the tumor without damaging the rest of the brain. The results are remarkable: up to nearly 90% of treated brain metastases from bladder and gynecological cancers were locally controlled, with fewer than 5% adverse effects. SRS thus emerges as a safe, effective, and well‑tolerated approach for patients, offering a new targeted therapeutic option.

• Read the article in the scientific Journal of Neuro-Oncology
• Read the article in the sicentific Journal of Neurosurgery

Until now lacking a specific inhibitor, the protein TMPRSS13 — implicated in the progression of several aggressive cancers — was considered an “orphan” therapeutic target. The team led by Professors Richard Leduc and Pierre‑Luc Boudreault developed a collection of 65 innovative medicinal‑chemistry molecules to tackle it. Among these, the compound N‑0430 proved particularly effective, capable of inhibiting TMPRSS13 at extremely low doses. This breakthrough positions N‑0430 as a promising candidate for the development of targeted treatments. It paves the way for a new generation of therapies capable of slowing tumor growth by neutralizing a long‑overlooked enzyme. This work offers tangible hope for more precise and effective treatments against hard‑to‑treat cancers such as triple‑negative breast cancer and advanced colorectal cancer.

• Read the article in the scientific Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry

In 2018, a major study assembled 40 researchers from various fields throughout the province of Quebec, with an audacious mission: improve the imaging and the treatment of treatment-resistant metastatic prostate cancer. Under the direction of Brigitte Guérin, Professor and Researcher at IRCUS, this research project has just concluded, exceeding not only expectations but also giving hope to hundreds of patients.

• Learn more about this breakthrough