News
The Pillars of IRIC: meet Madeleine Héroux
Published on August 24, 2023
In 2023, IRIC celebrates its 20th anniversary. Among the initiatives put in place to celebrate this anniversary, the series of portraits entitled “The Pillars of IRIC” will highlight the people who have contributed since the very beginning, sometimes in the shadows, to make IRIC what it has become.
Today, meet Madeleine Héroux, Biology Assistant Director, Drug Discovery Unit
Madeleine Héroux joined IRIC as a PhD student in the laboratory of Michel Bouvier, IRIC’s current Chief Executive Officer and Principal Investigator of the Molecular Pharmacology Research Unit. She jokes that she then made the leap from the dark side of the force to the pharmaceutical industry. She first worked for AstraZeneca and then for Addex Therapeutics, a biotech company based in Geneva, Switzerland. Back in Quebec, she returned to IRIC to contribute to the development of the Drug Discovery Unit.
Why did you join IRIC?
The opportunity to conduct research at the interface between academia and private industry.
What does your job at IRIC entail?
I am responsible for several drug discovery projects in collaboration with pharmaceutical partners. More specifically, I coordinate biology activities within multidisciplinary teams.
What motivates you to stay at IRIC after all these years?
The unique approach to translational research that allows me to benefit from the best of both worlds, and the team I’m lucky enough to work with every day.
Tell us about an accomplishment that makes you proud of your work at IRIC
To have contributed to the discovery and development of a clinical candidate for the treatment of heart failure.
Can you tell us about a key figure, role model or mentor for you at IRIC?
Michel Bouvier et Anne Marinier