IRIC - Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer

Published on June 13, 2024

IRIC is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Marc Therrien as Interim Chief Executive Officer of IRIC. The Executive Council of the Université de Montréal recently ratified the recommendation made by IRIC’s Board of Directors. Marc Therrien is Principal Investigator in the Institute’s Intracellular Signalling Research Unit and Full Professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal.

With ten years of experience as the Institute’s Scientific Director, Professor Therrien has the skills and expertise required to lead IRIC and ensure the continuity of its mission. He will work closely with Philippe Roux, appointed IRIC Scientific Director in May 2023, and with Sébastien Roy, Deputy Director – Finances and Operations, in position since November 2020.

“After a decade at the helm of IRIC, I am delighted to pass the torch to Marc Therrien, a long-standing colleague who has repeatedly risen to numerous challenges and maintained the scientific excellence of our Institute. With so many years of experience as a scientist and manager, Marc will guide IRIC to new milestones. Our jewel of cancer research is in good hands. – Michel Bouvier, outgoing Chief Executive Officer.

“I am honoured to take on the role of Chief Executive Officer, and to have the opportunity once again to share my vision of the Institute with our community. I am committed to continuing what my predecessor Michel Bouvier implemented with such passion and determination. I look forward to collaborating with all IRIC stakeholders to make cancer research progress.” – Marc Therrien

IRIC once again congratulates Professor Therrien on his appointment and wishes him every success in his new mandate.

A prolific career at IRIC

A founding member of the Institute, Marc Therrien has headed a laboratory at IRIC since 2003. He has also held a Canada Research Chair in Intracellular Signalling since 2004. His research team focuses on the signalling mechanisms involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, in particular those of the intracellular RAS-MAPK signalling pathway. Among his laboratory’s major achievements is the elucidation of the activation and dimerization mechanisms of the RAF protein, which is abnormally activated in a large number of cancers. Understanding these mechanisms was the first step towards the development of new anti-cancer drugs targeting RAF.

In addition to his research work, Marc Therrien was IRIC’s Scientific Director from 2013 to 2023. During his tenure, five researchers were recruited to the Institute and as many research units were created, enriching the diversity of expertise present at IRIC. He also set up various processes, such as researcher evaluation and mandatory internal review of grant applications, as well as various committees, including the Scientific Advisory Committee, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Young Researcher Mentoring Committee. Thanks to his initiative, IRIC’s annual scientific retreat is now held jointly with other partner units or institutions every two years.