91ÉçÇø

Our Faculty’s approach is to build on disciplinary excellence in fundamental, clinical, and populational research and promote interdisciplinary work that connects these strengths. Both are essential for delivering novel solutions to improve health. We identify 4 key themes where strong existing research capacity aligns with pressing health challenges:

Infection & Inflammation as Persistent Threats

Infectious diseases remain top health threats locally and globally, as painfully illustrated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. FMHS will continue to study infections and their treatment, focusing on existing and new pathogens and anti-microbial resistance. Major related topics include antibiotic overuse, and the mechanisms of inflammation triggered by infections, tissue injury, or related to autoimmunity in chronic inflammatory disorders, such as inflammatory bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and asthma. The influences of the microbiome and of external factors including pollution, climate change, and migration in modulating infection and immunity are increasingly emerging as important avenues within this theme.

Interdisciplinarity and translation will be promoted through new and established research hubs: 91ÉçÇø’s International TB Center, and the research centres on Antimicrobial Resistance, Viral Diseases, Structural Biology and the Microbiome. The 91ÉçÇø Interdisciplinary Initiative in Infection & Immunity (MI4) will play a key coordinating role to promote collaboration across this theme.

Cancer as a Complex Global Challenge

Cancer remains a leading cause of premature death around the globe, with increasing prevalence in developing countries. Discovery research is increasingly tightly linked to the clinic, yielding breakthroughs to improve prevention and early detection, and delineating mechanistic pathways that offer novel therapeutic targets. Clinical research is emphasizing interactions between cancer and chronic co-morbidities such as obesity or diabetes, and focusing on patient-centered outcomes addressing quality of life. The FMHS has established strengths in researching the complex interactions between genetics, environmental factors and behavioral risk factors in cancer. These efforts require more consideration of biological variations and social inequities affecting cancer risk and treatment outcomes within diverse populations, as well as the heterogeneity of cancer across individuals, including genetic and epigenetic factors and the dynamics of tumor microenvironments. Understanding individual and populational variability will spur both high impact prevention strategies and new precision diagnostics and therapeutics.

91ÉçÇø researchers are encouraged to establish multidisciplinary teams to study the complex interactions between, for example, endocrine, metabolic, and immune systems, in the pathophysiology of cancer. The development of biobanks and continued focus on clinical trials and outcomes research will be encouraged. The Goodman Cancer Institute, along with the 91ÉçÇø Centre for Translational Research on Cancer, the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology and related units and networks based at the Research Institutes at FMHS-affiliated teaching hospitals will continue to play a major catalytic role in these areas.

Understanding the Brain to Heal the Body and the Mind

Chronic conditions of the nervous system, whether in the domain of neurology or psychiatry, affect individuals across all age groups. With an aging population, more people are affected by neurodegenerative diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has had enduring repercussions on mental health, especially in youth. Chronic pain continues to be a major and poorly managed burden. The opioid crisis and other forms of addiction and behavioral disorders have devastating individual and societal consequences. Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders are in dire need of improved early interventions to help them thrive.

FMHS researchers have considerable strengths in these areas, advancing neurobiological knowledge at the molecular, cellular and systems levels, in relation to complex symptoms and behavior. More work is required to identify robust disease markers and transfer these to clinical use, along with better rehabilitation strategies and care delivery models that address the needs of patients and their families. Drug development for these complex conditions would benefit from new models of industry partnership.

FMHS researchers are encouraged to integrate neuroscience knowledge across various scales—from genes to cells, neural circuits, brain networks, and ultimately, behavior. Furthermore, emerging treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders, such as different forms of neurostimulation, represent promising research areas that warrant further exploration.

As in other disease areas, this endeavor calls for the adoption of new methods and technologies to continue at the cutting edge of individual disciplines, as well as concerted efforts to work across disciplines. Established hubs of neuroscience research at 91ÉçÇø, including the Montreal Neurological Institute, the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, and cross-cutting units such as the Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience Program at the RI-MUHC, the Azrieli Centre for Autism Research, the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, and the FRQ-supported Centre for Research on Brain, Language & Music, among others, provide a rich ecosystem for cross-cutting research.

Unlocking RNA For Enhanced Diagnoses and Novel Therapies

Recently discovered classes of non-coding RNAs have essential roles in gene expression and are often impaired in diseases like cancer, genetic and infectious diseases. Mutations in their expression can be used as biomarkers of disease and disease trajectory or prognosis. The remarkable potential for harnessing the breadth and flexibility of RNA function to treat and cure a variety of human diseases, from viral and parasitic infectious infections to cancer was highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated that RNA-based therapeutic compounds can be rapidly identified and synthesized, and readily optimized or changed with input from genomics platforms. These developments promise rapid delivery of novel treatment interventions to silence or edit genes, replace defective proteins, and improve cell-based therapeutics.

The combination of large and diversified data repositories and biobanks with advanced computing, biochemical and biophysical modeling and machine learning are revolutionizing high-dimensional genotyping and phenotyping for patient stratification. FMHS researchers are encouraged to explore the full potential of these approaches for both fundamental research on biological mechanisms at all scales, and next-generation clinical trials. Priorities include the discovery of disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets to assist in individualized treatment decisions and the monitoring of their outcomes.

FMHS strategy in these areas

The FMHS strategy aims to leverage both established and developing areas of excellence. It underscores the necessity of fostering greater interaction among core disciplines, thereby maximizing the translational impact of biomedical and health research. Consequently, the FMHS cultivates innovative synergies among fundamental biomedical and behavioral researchers, experts in clinical research, data and computational scientists, industry specialists, and health and social policy experts. Large-scale -omics approaches harnessing machine learning and data-driven methods and technologies are also a strategic priority. This includes a focus on the creation and curation of patient and data repositories for research that better represent the diversity of 91ÉçÇø’s RUISSS.

Our commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration is evident in several key initiatives. While the list below is not exhaustive, it showcases the diversity and potential of current collaborative efforts aimed at inspiring further interdisciplinary projects across our campus and affiliated institutions.

• D2R Program: 91ÉçÇø's recent CFREF award for the D2R program charts a path for an interdisciplinary approach in RNA-based therapeutics development. This major program, initiated in 2023 for the next 7 years, integrates novel computational techniques, analytics, and a robust network of clinical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological partners. By combining bio- and chemical-engineering with genomics and RNA research expertise, D2R is positioned to establishing a pipeline from discovery to commercialization and clinical application.
• Integrated Disease Research: The D2R program supports research spanning infectious diseases, cancer, and neurogenetic disorders. The establishment of the Dahdaleh Institute for Genomic Medicine and the 91ÉçÇø Centre for RNA Sciences epitomizes our ambition to lead in vaccine development and precision healthcare across a broad disease spectrum.
• Precision and Regenerative Medicine: The 91ÉçÇø Regenerative Medicine Network and The Neuro’s Early Drug Discovery Unit are at the forefront of stem cell research, particularly induced pluripotent stem cell technology, for discovering and testing novel therapeutic avenues and drugs. These units are poised to multiply the impact of the new CERC in Regenerative Lung Medicine to advance regenerative medicine through cell replacement therapies for damaged organs and tissues.
• Leveraging Structural Biology: The FRQS-funded Centre for Structural Biology is a FMHS hub for studies of protein structure and function at the atomic level, that operates in synergy with the considerable expertise and infrastructure hosted at the Facility for Electron Microscopy Research. Embracing advanced bioimaging, alongside novel artificial intelligence and data science methodologies, will enable FMHS researchers to unravel the complex biological puzzles associated with protein structure, assembly and dynamics in relation to their functions in health and disease.
• Cancer Research and Personalized Medicine: With the Goodman Cancer Institute and hospital-based Research Institutes, we are pushing the boundaries of precision cancer treatment. Our focus includes exploiting cancer vulnerabilities, immuno-profiling, and leveraging patient-derived models, among other innovative strategies. FMHS’ prowess in structural biology, imaging, digital and molecular pathology, computational models, and population health research complements these efforts.
• Strategic Cohort Development: The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the complex interplay between infections and various body systems, necessitating a multidisciplinary response. Notably, primary clinical symptoms like respiratory distress often coincided with severe neurological events and both acute and chronic mental health challenges. This complexity, characteristic of syndromes induced by new pathogens, demands comprehensive recognition, documentation, and study. For research, creating high-quality cohorts of patients with broad and detailed phenotyping is crucial for uncovering the biological and other factors influencing disease progression and treatment responses. The Quebec COVID-19 Biobank, led by 91ÉçÇø’s CER in Genomic Medicine, exemplifies the ambitious and systematic research methodology we advocate. This approach—centering on large, meticulously curated patient cohorts and leveraging cutting-edge computational techniques from structural biology to epidemiology—facilitates both personalized and community-level strategies against infectious diseases. Extending this model to other major diseases is highly recommended.
• Expanding Interdisciplinary Frontiers: The establishment of the new CERC in Metabolism and the Brain significantly enhances our comprehension of the gut-brain axis. Together with substantial investments in the international Modern Diet and Physiology Research Centre (MDPRC), focused on neurometabolic science, 91ÉçÇø is positioned to become a frontrunner in the interdisciplinary exploration of diet's impact on health. Given the strong association between diet, metabolism, and diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease—areas where 91ÉçÇø already excels—this research direction not only promotes cross-disciplinary studies but also addresses critical issues relevant to our Faculty. These include the health of underserved and vulnerable groups, who are disproportionately affected by these comorbidities. Other interdisciplinary efforts towards advancing mechanical and stem cell engineering for tissue replacement and the creation of innovative materials and devices are highly supported. FMHS encourages researchers to pursue interdisciplinary bioengineering initiatives to facilitate developments in these areas, ensuring their swift translation into clinical settings.
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