Our impact
The Project consists of the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the new Montreal healthcare research center, the Centre de Recherche (CR). Completed in 2013, CR-CHUM is one of the world’s leading centres of research in biomedical sciences.
The centre combines basic, clinical, and population health research for a high-quality academic research continuum to improve the health of adults. More than 1700 people work in this 70,000 m2 facility, including around 450 researchers and over 400 graduate students and postgraduate fellows. Across Quebec, CRCHUM is the only hospital-based facility that can carry out the entire spectrum of basic, clinical and population health research. Its main lines of research are in cancer, immunotherapy, cardiometabolic medicine and health imaging and engineering.
Since operations started, Meridiam and its partner have been carefully managing the SPV, leading to overall cost savings. In 2012, Meridiam transferred 49% of its participation in MICAF to a CoInvestor.
A major biomedical and healthcare research Centre at Université de Montréal and one of the largest in Canada. In operation since 2013.
The University of Montreal Health Centre (CHUM), one of the largest hospitals in Canada, has a dedicated research center, the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center (CRCHUM). The CRCHUM opened in 2013 and is one of the world’s leading research centers in biomedical sciences. The CHUM and CRCHUM are both affiliated with the University of Montreal.
The CRCHUM combines basic, clinical, and population health research for high-quality academic research to improve the health of adults. More than 1700 people work in this 70,000 m2 facility, including approximately 450 researchers and more than 650 graduate students and postgraduate fellows. The CRCHUM is an internationally recognized training location, and its annual student cohort is composed of 25-30% international students.
Researchers at the CRCHUM are highly recognized for their work. Every year, researchers at the CRCHUM receive awards from various reputable journals, public foundations, etc. The CRCHUM’s state of the art facilities, in-house expertise, cross-collaboration between industrials and academic partners, and the CHUM, allow for successful research that move the world’s scientific efforts forward.
Across Quebec, CRCHUM is the only hospital-based facility that can carry out the entire spectrum of basic, clinical and population health research. Its main lines of research are cancer, cardiometabolic diseases, imaging & engineering, immunopathology, health innovation & evaluation hub, and neuroscience.
In Operation, completion date 30 September 2013
Employees
Students are international
The CRCHUM has 15 state of the art facilities and services, that are being used by medical researchers, student researchers, and industrial institutions. The CRCHUM facilities and services enable the following type of work: cancer research, cell research, biobanks, infectious diseases research, autoimmune research, metabolic disease research.
The list above is not all encompassing.
CRCHUM encourages cross-collaboration between academic and industrial partners. To help facilitate this cross-collaboration, the CRCHUM created The Metabolic Diseases Innovative Solutions (MeDIS). MeDIS is a cluster of six CRCHUM core facilities designed to facilitate and accelerate research and activities in the field of metabolic diseases (obesity, type 2 diabetes, etc.). More specifically, MeDIS provides a collaborative R&D service to CRCHUM’s industrial partners, guided by expert researchers who are specialized in metabolic diseases. This platform is especially being used in the pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries.
A recent initiative using MeDIS is the “Continuum” project, developed by CRCHUM in partnership with Greybox Solutions Inc, MEDTEQ, and Boehringer Ingelheim Canada. The “Continuum”’ project’s goal is to understand how advanced digital technology can help health professionals and patients suffering from multiple serious medical conditions to jointly manage their treatment plan at home to reduce hospital readmissions.
The CRCHUM website is regularly updated with ongoing research as a means to provide knowledge to the general public. In addition, CRCHUM facilitates free weekly symposiums hosted by internationally renowned researchers.
The CRCHUM is a key player in Quebec for COVID-19 research. The CRCHUM is leading many different research initiatives to better understand the virus, as well as helping hospitals combat it.
The CRCHUM joined Quebec’s effort to research COVID-19. A task force combining research teams across Quebec set up the province’s first Quebec Biobank to advance research efforts related to COVID-19. The biobank collects and stores patient samples & data, then shares those with the researchers working on the COVID-19.
Another research initiative is the Pain Research Group at the CRCHUM. The group documents the impact of COVID-19 on people who suffer from chronic pain. The goal of this research is to determine how much the measures implemented since COVID-19 has emerged, affect the conditions and treatments of people with chronic pain (everyday activities, mental-being, general well-being). This group includes data from people across all of Canada. This study will also help with future health care decisions during future waves of this pandemic, or other pandemics. The impact and coping mechanisms were presented in September 2020 conference.
The CRCHUM is also involved in the effort to understand autoimmunization, and whether plasma transfusions from people who have healed from the COVID-19 virus to people who are starting to get sick, can limit the receiver’s symptoms. The Research Center has also determined that the number of COVID-19 antibodies decreased after 6 weeks – a very important information to know during this pandemic.
As well, to promote knowledge sharing across the province and country, the CRCHUM uses its free weekly symposiums to share information about COVID-19. At one of the symposiums, the hosts explained the link between the COVID-19 virus and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Another symposiums explained the differences between the COVID-19 virus and SARS-CoV-2. The Director of the CRCHUM is also keeping the public informed of the building’s activities through periodic news updates.
The CRCHUM was also involved in the needed effort of providing medical equipment. A joint effort between the CRCHUM, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), and the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS NIM), offered a 3D printing service to print medical and non-medical material that hospitals need. The 3D printing team printed at least 500 visors a day.
In June 2020, as part of CRCHUM’s rapid research response to COVID-19, three teams received grants totaling close to CAD$2.3m from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (including its COVID-19 response grant, research teams at the CRCHUM were awarded nearly CAD$7 from CIHR, with a success rate well above the provincial average).
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