This text is part of the special Research section
A unique model in Canada in which science and commercialization go hand in hand, where investments in fundamental research lead to therapeutic solutions developed in accelerated mode for the benefit of patients: at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), affiliated with the University of Montreal, academia and the pharmaceutical industry are working together to try to beat cancer.
An idea born in 2003, IRIC has been developing its “equation for success” for more than 15 years. The formula proposes to bring together under one roof fundamental research activities by renowned researchers, a university training program and a team for promoting projects developed in the laboratory and which have commercial and medical potential.
Here, academia remains very close to the pharmaceutical industry, a duo that promotes the development and commercialization of new drugs and treatments. The complementary expertise of around thirty researchers in basic and applied research, supported by the work of 70 chemists and biologists, is combined with investments from pharmaceutical companies and funding granted by IRICoR, the research commercialization center of IRIC launched in 2008.
“This is what is innovative with IRIC. It was seen as two different worlds, but they are complementary, says Michel Bouvier, Director General of IRIC and principal researcher at the Molecular Pharmacology Research Unit. When one of our research reaches the stage of maturity and we see its potential, the Institute is able to take the project, make it mature and have it become a partner with the industry. This is an essential part of making basic research more efficient, but without compromising it. “
This efficiency also has medical and financial benefits.
From the laboratory to the counter
“We cannot think of an economic impact if there has not been basic basic research,” explains Anne Marinier, director of medicinal chemistry and of the Drug Discovery Unit at IRIC. Otherwise, we are doing the same things that already exist. I’ve always thought that research was to make it work. It’s important to have both. My primary interest is that there is a pill that ultimately comes out. “
Previously, academia made discoveries, but it ended there. The pharmaceutical industry was taking these discoveries and making money with them. With our model, the pharmaceutical field is involved in partnership with researchers, which allows the university to have financial returns.
By preserving their academic freedom to innovate, Anne Marinier and her team are developing scientific findings that make it possible to think of new therapeutic solutions. One of them is a success story: the UM171 molecule, which has the property of multiplying stem cells.
“Stem cell transplantation is the therapy of last resort for patients with serious blood diseases, such as leukemia. Stem cell transplantation allows the patient’s blood system to be rebuilt, ”explains the researcher.
The mortality rate associated with the stem cell transplantation procedure was reduced by 30 to 5% with the UM171 molecule. So far, about 70 patients have been treated this way, from Montreal to Quebec City to Seattle, with promising results. They were all done through the company ExCellThera, incubated at IRIC in 2014 following investments from IRICoR. This company is developing the technology for amplifying grafts based on UM171 as well as other potential therapeutic applications of this molecule.
The income generated by ExCellThera then trickles down to the Institute, with a rain of benefits.
“Before, academia made discoveries, but it ended there. The pharmaceutical industry was taking these discoveries and making money with them. With our model, the pharmaceutical field is involved in partnership with researchers, which allows the university to have financial returns. Since the researcher behind the discovery is involved in all stages of the process, it is he who transmits the expertise. It is a win-win model. It is even rational, to use scientific vocabulary. “
In 13 years, IRICoR has invested in around 100 projects, which have led to around 30 licensing agreements with the pharmaceutical industry, in addition to having been involved in the creation of four companies, including ExCellThera.
Funding to retain talent
But how does research marketing work? Essentially, it’s about bringing a treatment to the market for the benefit of patients, explains Nadine Beauger, Executive Director of IRICoR, the center of excellence in commercialization and research focused on drug discovery based at IRIC. But several steps are necessary before getting there.
“Our team chooses scientifically sound projects and grants funding that is not traditionally available to researchers,” explains Nadine Beauger. These amounts help choose the best bioassays, molecules that may, at a later stage, be attractive assets for pharmaceutical companies. “
Through this support, IRICoR seeks to increase the value of university research, through patents and an intellectual property portfolio. And in its capacity as an NPO, IRICoR reinvests revenues in new laboratory projects.
For three years, IRICoR has also obtained support of $ 25 million from the federal government. A financial boost that makes it possible in particular to retain the best talents within IRIC. Having worked in the private sector for many years herself, Anne Marinier knows all too well that the salaries of her researchers cannot compete with those offered by industry. A constant challenge, especially since the labor shortage is also hitting laboratory work.
“But the quality of research at IRIC and the motivation to make a difference in cancer research are our main attractions”, relativizes Anne Marinier. So is bathing in the process from the start.
“Those who come here really care about success. There are more chances of making a discovery at IRIC than in a small private library. Our researchers are more involved and all have the same goal: to try to cure cancer. “
From one crisis to another
In the world of cancer research as elsewhere, the COVID-19 pandemic has also had negative effects. Patients awaiting surgery had to wait a long time as hospitals were overcrowded and philanthropic donations to several foundations plummeted.
“When there is a crisis like the pandemic, all eyes are on the crisis,” illustrates Michel Bouvier, director of IRIC. But cancer is also a crisis, which has been going on for a very long time, when you see the figures… ”
These figures are final. One in two Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime. One in four Canadians will die from it. This disease is the leading cause of death in the country and each year, cancer causes 30% of deaths in Canada.
With the attention placed on COVID-19 over the past two years, and the pressure placed on the healthcare system by the pandemic, doctor visits have declined. In 2020, Canada saw a 40% decrease in diagnoses of all cancers combined compared to the previous year, even though the incidence had actually increased.
At IRIC, we expect a major impact on cancer statistics over the next decade: undetected, untreated cancers, delayed or canceled operations, etc.
“We will probably have higher mortality rates over the next decade,” deplores Nadine Beauger. In making this sad observation, I hope that governments will understand the importance of investing in fundamental and applied research, so that we are equipped and able to meet the needs of society. Without health, there is no economic recovery. Governments at all levels will have their role to play, and I hope that they will continue to support successful organizations like IRIC so that we can continue to develop our mission: to cure this disease. “