The IRCM announces the creation of a clinic subspecialized in metabolic disorders associated with cystic fibrosis - The IRCM becomes a pioneer in this field in Canada

MONTREAL, May 21, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - This morning, the IRCM announced the creation of a new clinic subspecialized in the metabolic disorders associated with cystic fibrosis, in collaboration with the CHUM (Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal). The IRCM and the IRCM Foundation also launched the Gosselin-Lamarre Chair in clinical research.

Cystic fibrosis is among the best known rare diseases in Quebec. Today, thanks to research progress, people with cystic fibrosis live longer. However, this can lead to other complications like diabetes. This type of diabetes, different than type 2 diabetes associated with obesity and type 1 juvenile diabetes, can be found in 25 to 40 per cent of adults with cystic fibrosis, and significantly increases the morbidity and mortality rates associated with cystic fibrosis.

"This improved life expectancy also leads to metabolic disorders such as osteoporosis, adrenal insufficiency and early menopause," states Dr. Yves Berthiaume, Executive Director of the clinic and clinical research at the IRCM and holder of the Gosselin-Lamarre Chair in clinical research. "We wish to study the link, which is still misunderstood, between the emergence and development of these complications and the chronic inflammation associated with the disease. With its new subspecialized clinic, the IRCM will play a pioneering role in the field of cystic fibrosis by having the first clinic in Canada to specialize in the metabolic complications associated to this disease."

The donations that served to create the Gosselin-Lamarre Chair in clinical research will contribute to setting up this new clinic. Diane and Léon Gosselin and Marie and Guy Lamarre each made a $500,000 donation to support this project, for a total of one million dollars.

"It is with conviction that my wife and I decided to participate in the IRCM Foundation's major fundraising campaign by making this donation," says Léon Gosselin. "We believe in the IRCM, an internationally-renowned institution that invaluably contributes to improving the health of our society."

"We have known about this research institution for a long time and about its excellent reputation worldwide," adds Guy Lamarre, on behalf of his wife and himself. "We are therefore very happy to support Dr. Berthiaume's research projects."

"We are very grateful to the Gosselin and Lamarre families for their generosity," mentions the IRCM's President and Scientific Director, Dr. Tarik Möröy. "It is a sign of the confidence they have in our research institution. Their donation will enable us to move forward in our efforts to better understand and treat cystic fibrosis and its associated cardiovascular and metabolic diseases."

About the IRCM
The IRCM (www.ircm.qc.ca) is a renowned biomedical research institution located in the heart of Montréal's university district. Founded in 1967, it is currently comprised of 37 research units and four clinics specialized in cholesterol, hypertension, cystic fibrosis and diabetes and obesity. The IRCM is affiliated with the Université de Montréal and its clinic is associated with the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM). The IRCM also maintains a long-standing association with McGill University. The IRCM is funded, in part, by the Quebec ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology.

About the IRCM Foundation
Also created in 1967, the IRCM Foundation (www.ircm.qc.ca/fondation) raises funds to support the institute. The major fundraising campaign, Give for Life, aims to support the IRCM's research priorities in upcoming years. The campaign's objective has been set at 15 million dollars.

About Yves Berthiaume
Renowned pulmonologist, Yves Berthiaume, who graduated in medicine from the Université de Sherbrooke, is Executive Director of the clinic and clinical research at the IRCM and holder of the Gosselin-Lamarre Chair in clinical research. He is also Full IRCM Research Professor, Director of the Cellular and Molecular Lung Biology research unit, and Director of the subspecialized cystic fibrosis clinic. Dr. Berthiaume is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Montréal and a member of the cystic fibrosis clinic at the CHUM. He currently chairs the Advisory Board for CIHR's Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health.

About Léon Gosselin and Guy Lamarre
Léon Gosselin is the founder of Axcan Pharma, a pharmaceutical company known today as Aptalis. Mr. Gosselin is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors for CQDM (Québec Consortium for Drug Discovery).

Guy Lamarre is the founder (1979) of Confab Laboratories Inc., leader in pharmaceutical contract manufacturing in Quebec, which he sold in 2010 to Renaissance Pharma. Mr. Lamarre is now the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for Renaissance Pharma.

SOURCE: Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)

For more information and to schedule an interview, please contact:

Lucette Thériault
Communications Director (IRCM)
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Julie Langelier
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