The INRS Foundation is proud to announce its participation in the creation of the INRS Chair in Nanobiophotonics, an innovative project financed by an endowment fund. Launched with an investment of $500,000 over five years, this initiative marks an important milestone in our mission to support interdisciplinary research that opens up new avenues of collaboration with benefits for people affected by cancer.
Led by Professors Marc A. Gauthier and Jonathan Perreault, this Chair stands out for its bold, collaborative approach. It aims to develop revolutionary tools for the detection and treatment of cancers, in particular by exploiting the potential of aptamers, the short DNA fragments used for biodetection and immunotherapy. The Chair also draws on the expertise of two associate researchers, Professor Jinyang Liang and Professor Maya Saleh, to push back the frontiers of innovation in ultrafast imaging and immuno-oncology. The Chair unites the complementary driving forces of our scientists at the Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunication and the Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie.
Marc A. Gauthier
Jinyang Liang
Jonathan Perreault
Maya Saleh
Beyond the scientific breakthroughs it promises, the Chair in Nanobiophotonics is a unique training ground for the next generation of scientists. Since September 2024, it has enabled graduate students to work in a multidisciplinary environment where physics, chemistry, biology and medicine converge to address the complex issues of our time.
According to Élise Comtois, Executive Director of the INRS Foundation, “The issues facing Quebec society are complex and call for multifaceted solutions. The Chair is an additional vehicle for fostering this interdisciplinarity, which is essential for training the next generation of scientists capable of meeting the challenges of the future”.
The INRS Foundation is honoured to fund this initiative, which illustrates the impact of cutting-edge research on the health and well-being of our society. This project is in line with our vision of a future where science and innovation serve crucial challenges such as the fight against cancer. This philanthropic support will leverage scientists to multiply the funding of their work, enabling them to have a concrete impact on cancer research and, inevitably, on cancer patients and their families.
The Foundation would like to thank the INRS teams involved in this project, and in particular the Research Department which managed the competition, and wishes every success to the scientists who are bringing this new research Chair to life.