This text is part of the special section Philanthropy
The Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Foundation supports the hospital center in several of its centers of excellence, in order to always be at the cutting edge of the latest advances in caring for patients and saving more lives.
Created in 1978, the Foundation quickly established itself as a place of community involvement, explains the CEO of the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Jean-François Fortin Verreault. It is notably with the help of the philanthropic organization that the Hospital was able to set up cell therapy, aimed at treating certain hematological cancers, in Quebec. “We heal people thanks to that,” he says.
The care center is also one of the pioneers in stem cell research and cell therapy. “It is the largest transplant center in Quebec and one of the most important in Canada for allogeneic transplants,” explains the director of the transplant and cell therapy program at the Université de Montréal, Dr.D Silvy Lachance, about the expertise developed over four decades in the hospital.
“The stem cell transplant, what was called before a bone marrow transplant, in fact, it’s a transplant that we will take from the bone marrow”, summarizes the DD Luck. “In recent years, we have realized that we can circulate stem cells in the peripheral blood and collect them there. This is why, if we want to have a more general term, we will talk about stem cell transplants or cell therapy,” she adds.
The one who is a hematologist specializing in the field was also director of the hospital’s stem cell transplant program until 2020. Cell therapy is mainly used to treat hematological cancers, she says. But this approach is also used to treat other so-called “non-cancerous” pathologies, such as bone marrow failure, which consists of an abnormality in the production of cells by the bone marrow.
For these advances, the Center of Excellence in Cellular Therapy has also been named an institute. “It means that the government has recognized the excellence in hemato-oncology transplantation and cell therapy at the hospital,” underlines the doctor.
The Foundation has played a key role in the development of this type of care, in particular by setting up research spaces. ” [Les chercheurs] work in close collaboration with donors to create research chairs that allow the development of programs of excellence leading to clinical treatments,” explains the Scientific Director of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Sylvie Lesage.
Other advanced specializations
Apart from hemato-oncology, Hôpital de Maisonneuve-Rosemont also stands out in nephrology and ophthalmology. “People from all over Quebec come here for treatment,” explains Jean-François Fortin Verreault.
“The east of Montreal is more than 535,000 people,” he recalls. But he adds that about 15% of the hospital’s clientele comes from elsewhere in Quebec. Thus, in nephrology, the hospital center houses the largest dialysis center in the province with the largest number of patients. “The specialty centers of excellence live in harmony with the general care and regular services offered to people on the east side of the island of Montreal,” he specifies.
“With this expertise, we have recruited many clinical researchers who come to take an interest in the problems associated with kidney disease,” adds Ms.me The wise man.
The Center universitaire d’ophtalmologie de l’Université de Montréal, located at the hospital, is also pushing studies on eye care, in particular thanks to a tissue bank. “There is a whole expertise in basic research to try to understand pathologies and bring new treatments,” explains Ms.me The wise man.
It is also the Hospital Center Foundation that ensures the development of these areas of excellence. Thus, the organization aims not only to provide better care to patients, but also to train health professionals and advance research in order to develop new remedies.
“More than 5,000 interns come to the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal each year. And Maisonneuve-Rosemont is a privileged partner of the University of Montreal, but also of the Collège de Rosemont and the Collège de Maisonneuve for the training of young people in health,” emphasizes Mr. Fortin Verreault.
In hemato-oncology, research carried out at the hospital has also led to the discovery of the UM171 molecule, which has made it possible to “exponentially increase” the success rate of transplants. “Patients were able to benefit from this innovative treatment earlier. These are people who had no other treatment options. And it saved the lives of several people, ”he notes about this discovery which will soon be marketed.
“Without the Foundation’s support, the Hospital would not have been able to maintain its areas of excellence that serve the population at the height of what it does today. He could not have developed the research either”, pleads the CEO about such medical advances.
Cell therapy is also being studied for other pathologies. This “transfer of cells to restore life to the patient”, explains Mme Lesage also aims “to repair eyes, hearts. It’s called regenerative medicine when you do this type of treatment to repair existing tissue.”
Discoveries that change lives
Among the patients who were treated at the hospital, there is Alexandra Yelle. The 28-year-old, who works as a flight attendant for an airline, underwent a stem cell transplant there.
It was in January 2018 that she learned that she had acute myeloid leukemia, a form of blood cancer. “I was in my doctor’s office in uniform. I went home and I didn’t know if I was going to put it back one day, ”she recalls.
After receiving chemotherapy treatments at the Saint-Jérôme hospital, in the region where she lives, it was once in remission that she underwent a stem cell transplant in Maisonneuve-Rosemont. “With the type of leukemia I had, I had to have a bone marrow transplant to be sure that the risk of relapse was lower,” explains the young woman.
But finding a donor took some time. “I have a half-brother, but we were not compatible”, specifies the one who was the patient of the DD Luck. The life-saving treatment came from Europe, and was obtained through an international donor bank.
However, her recovery after the transplant was not easy. “I was still in a hospital room for five weeks doing nothing. Just walking, eating, it was difficult,” she recalls. But she adds that she was “very well surrounded”, both by the medical staff and by her relatives. “Honestly, that was the most important thing!” »
She describes her illness as “a really weird experience” that she wouldn’t wish on anyone. “But in a way, I’m happy to have lived it because it opens my eyes to many things in life,” she adds.
Alexandra Yelle stresses that she was supported by “an extraordinary team” throughout this ordeal. “And with all the research and technology today, it’s easier to get out of it,” she believes.