Twenty young professionals get together to support research as part of the Knock Out Cancer Boxing Gala

MONTREAL, Sept. 21, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The very first edition of the Knock Out Cancer Boxing Gala will be held on September 29, at the McCord Museum in Montreal, in aid of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC). The event is organized by the IRIC Young Philanthropists.

In August 2016, twenty young professionals from Montreal Inc. decided to join forces to support a cause that they hold dear, cancer research, and to set up this benefit event to aid that cause.

The IRIC Young Philanthropists are lawyers, associates, pharmacists, investors, investigators and consultants who have chosen to devote part of their professional agenda to philanthropy, specifically at a pivotal stage of the fight against this disease, the leading cause of death in the country.

"The idea for launching the IRIC Young Philanthropists came to me while I was taking part in the 2016 edition of the IRIC Audacious Gala. I could see the importance that research plays in the fight against this disease and the fundamental work being done by the Institute's investigators. Our group came together quickly in the months that followed and the opportunity to do our part for a cause that is special to us, and to do it in our own way, created a great deal of interest in my network" said Sébastien D'Incau, co-founder of the IRIC Young Philanthropists and a consultant at Egon Zehnder.

Young boxers featured
The program will include matches opposing amateur boxers, both men and women, who have been following an intense three-month training program for the cause. Three IRIC students will step into the ring: Amir Medjtoh, studying for his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, will go up in the evening's feature event against Badr Sokrat, studying for his Ph.D. in Biochemistry, part of the lab run by Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer of the IRIC, as well as Sara Marullo, studying for her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in the lab run by Marc Therrien, Scientific Director of the IRIC. These three proud representatives will swap their lab coats for boxing gloves for one night to benefit the cause that they work so hard for.  

"The involvement of a new generation of motivated philanthropists is great news for our Institute, whose mission of research, training and commercialization is more relevant than ever. A philanthropic event like Knock Out Cancer brings people together and helps us gain more knowledge and get within closer reach of new treatments" said Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer of the IRIC. 

To buy tickets, support the fundraising efforts of the participants or to find out more about the event, please go to www.kocancer.ca 

About the IRIC Young Philanthropists
Created in 2016, the group brings together twenty young professionals from the Montreal business community who actively support cancer research being carried out at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC). After taking part in the 2016 edition of Audacious, a philanthropic gala organized by the IRIC, the group's two founders, Sébastien D'Incau (a consultant at Egon Zehnder) and Caroline Stephens (a lawyer at Fasken Martineau LPP), decided to come up with their own way of supporting a cause that they hold very dear.

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/en/

SOURCE Institut de recherche en immunologie et en cancérologie de l'Université de Montréal

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Related Links

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