IRIC - Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer

Published on November 27, 2013

On November 20, Éric Deneault received the award for best thesis in Health Sciences at Université de Montréal as part of an award ceremony organized by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral studies (FESP). The purpose of this gala was to honour the 2012-13 fellows for the excellence of their academic record.Éric Deneault, 2012-2013 IRIC Graduate, Ph.D. in molecular biology under the direction of Dr. Guy Sauvageau Mr. Deneault received this award for his thesis in molecular biology entitled “Activité des cellules souches : identification de nouveaux effecteurs dans le système hématopoïétique” (Stem cell activity: identification of new effectors in the blood-forming system). Deneault completed his Ph.D. under the direction of Dr. Guy Sauvageau, Chief Scientist in the Molecular Genetics of Stem Cells unit and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of Université de Montréal.

Éric Deneault’s research efforts led to a world premiere in the field of stem cells: the production of a large quantity of laboratory stem cells from a small number of blood stem cells obtained from bone marrow. This discovery constitutes a huge step towards the development of a revolutionary treatmeant using stem cells and could have a deep impact on leukemia patients as it would facilitate and improve the efficiency of bone marrow transplants.

Dr. Guy Sauvageau describes the quality of his student’s work as “exceptional”. The winning thesis is written in a “concise, clear, and accessible style”, according to the CEO of IRIC. “Éric’s work is original, elegant, insightful, meticulous, and the impressive amount of work he has accomplished is very impressive in all respects,” notes Dr. Sauvageau.
Remarks Éric Deneault: “Grant accessibility and the participation of numerous mentors in IRIC’s thesis committees are some of the benefits that contributed to my professional and academic progress.”

“IRIC provides outstanding training programs in medical research, comparable in quality to some of the best programs available in the largest research centres in the world. Thanks to the Institute’s multidisciplinary approach, scientific problems are tackled from different angles and with a constant cooperation between teams. Finally and most notably, the Institute provides an easy and quick access to different technology platforms with the support of highly qualified professionals,” concludes the recent Ph.D. graduate.
Mr. Deneault is currently completing a postdoctoral training at The Hospital for Sick Children of Toronto. His main purpose is to establish himself as a chief scientist in the academic research community in Montreal.