Cancellation of Audacious: IRIC's annual flagship benefit event

MONTREAL, April 23, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Since 2014, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal has been hosting its benefit event, Audacious, which contributes annually to the funding of promising discoveries to fight cancer. Each year, the event helps raise close to a million dollars to support research efforts.

Out of respect for the policies implemented by our governments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in order to help eradicate the crisis, IRIC made the difficult decision to cancel the event. Nonetheless, the Institute would like to take the time to thank all those who worked so hard, before the crisis, to make the Audacious 2020 event a success. We therefore thank the members of the Financing Cabinet, made up of people from all walks of life and from all sectors of activity, the honorary members, as well as the IRIC Young Philanthropists, for their devotion to the cause ***. Thank you to Sébastien Lemieux, Principal Investigator at IRIC and special guest, as well as to Yoshua Bengio, Scientific Director of the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute (Mila) and Special Advisor, for their invaluable expertise. Thank you as well to all of our suppliers, particularly Altitude C, who helped us rethink the formula for our event. We also thank our loyal service partners, our sponsors, our donors and especially everyone who agreed to turn their participation in Audacious 2020 into a generous donation for research at IRIC.

The consequences of the cancellation are not trivial for the Institute which, like many other organizations, must deal with some serious issues.

Along with creating a sizeable challenge for research teams, the current situation jeopardizes the funding of major projects and has a significant impact on maintaining our infrastructures and our personnel.

That's why we are appealing to your generosity to help us support our cancer-related research efforts, and under the circumstances, research related to COVID-19. Several IRIC research teams are adapting their skills and reinventing their knowledge in order to contribute to the collective effort: finding creative and bold solutions to fight the global pandemic. Today, our scientists need you.

"In these uncertain times, there is only one certainty: scientific research is vital for addressing societal problems that directly affect people's health, as with the pandemic that we are experiencing. Once again, I am convinced that together, we will be able to get through this ordeal. Thank you to everyone who helps us, who has believed in our mission right from the start. Every day you allow us to get closer to our objectives and you contribute to our achievements", says Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Investigator at IRIC.

As a result of their curiosity and their commitment, IRIC's skilled scientists change our life through small and major discoveries. Would you like to be part of the solution? You can help us advance research through small and major donations. In this particular context, we have set up the IRIC Emergency Fund, which will enable us to continue our mission. Please give generously using this link.

Cabinet members: Frédéric Alberro, Director, Quebec, Innovative Medicines Canada; Luc Bachand, Corporate Director; Jacques Bernier, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Teralys Capital; Therence Bois, Director of Operations and Co-founder, InVivo AI; Catherine Bouchard, Senior Director, Healthcare Sector, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec; Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer, Principal Investigator, Molecular Pharmacology Research Unit, IRIC; Clarissa Desjardins, Ex-CEO, Clementia; Sylvain Fortier, Chief Investment and Innovation Officer, Ivanhoé Cambridge; Annie Gauthier, Partner, Lawyer, BCF; Sébastien Giguère, Co-founder, InVivo AI; Paul Hamelin, Chairman of the Board of Directors, GIRO, Co-founder, Fonds Hamelys; Lea Harrington, Principal Investigator, Telomere Length Homeostasis and Genomic Instability Research Unit, IRIC; Steven J. Klein, Vice-President, Business Development, IRICoR; Anne Lebel, Principal Development Officer, IRIC; Alexandre Le Bouthillier, Co-founder and Chief Corporate Officer, Imagia; Sébastien Lemieux, Principal Investigator, Functional and Structural Bioinformatics Research Unit, IRIC, Professor, IVADO; Danielle Lysaught, Co-founder and Director, Fonds Hamelys; Catryn Pinard, President and CEO, Nationex; Robert Paré, Strategic Advisor, Fasken; J.P. Towner, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Pomerleau Inc.

Honorary members: Robert Tessier, Chairman of the Board, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Chairman of the Board, IRIC; Valérie Ménard, Senior Partner and Financial Security Advisor, Ménard et Associés.

IRIC Young Philanthropists of Audace 2020: Dr. Katrina Kontaxis, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, MaxilloVendôme; Doriane Labrosse, Director, Corporate Development, Couvre-Planchers Labrosse inc.; Philippe Letendre-Joachim, Strategy and Management Consultant, SPB; Benjamin Raynault, Senior Director, Investments, Kevric Real Estate Corporation.  

About the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal

An ultra-modern research hub and training centre located in the heart of the Université de Montréal, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Université de Montréal was created in 2003 to shed light on the mechanisms of cancer and discover new, more effective therapies to counter this disease. The IRIC operates according to a model that is unique in Canada. Its innovative approach to research has already led to discoveries that will, over the coming years, have a significant impact on the fight against cancer.

For more information: www.iric.ca

SOURCE Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal

IRIC, Noémie Desbois Mackenzie, Communications Advisor, Public and Government Relations, IRIC, 514 475 7682, [email protected]

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