The Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS-EMTL) proudly welcomes the Quebec government’s announcement of the creation of the first gene therapy production unit in the country. Located at the Institut universitaire d’hémato-oncologie et de thérapie cellulaire (IUHOTC) of the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (HMR), this Canadian first has been made possible thanks to $6,260,849 in funding announced today by Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation and Minister Responsible for the Lanaudière Region.
With this financial support, the IUHOTC can acquire $7.8 million of necessary equipment to produce therapeutic cells. As a treatment strategy, gene therapy consists of introducing genetic material into cells to treat diseases that could not be cured otherwise, such as some types of cancer. Using good manufacturing practices (GMP), the new gene therapy unit will produce cell materials that will be used by medical teams and that will also be released on the market. “The gene therapy production unit will let us make cells such as CAR-T cells to treat cancer, along with a whole host of other therapeutic applications, right here in Montreal,” said Dr. Denis Claude Roy, Director of the IUHOTC. “This announcement is yet another demonstration of the IUHOTC’s cutting-edge expertise and leadership,” he added.
Over the past 30 years, the HMR has become a leader in regenerative medicine in Canada and around the world. “The emerging field of gene therapy is now another area of our expertise and cements the HMR’s position as a major pole of health innovation,” said Sylvain Lemieux, President and CEO of the CIUSSS-EMTL. “We are extremely proud that, here in Montreal’s east end, we can produce gene therapy drugs to treat patients in Quebec, Canada and around the world,” he added.
Mr. Lemieux also warmly thanked the Sandra and Alain Bouchard Foundation for its generous support of $1.3 million as well as the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont Foundation, as together they contributed over $1.5 million to this project. “For many years, the HMR Foundation has helped us advance the field of regenerative medicine. Thanks to this support, the HMR can keep pushing the boundaries of knowledge and practice to save more and more lives,” said Mr. Lemieux.