The CHUM Research Centre
Healthcare research is also a core aspect of the CHUM and its mission. The CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) is the largest medical research centre affiliated with the Université de Montréal. It includes 270 researchers, many of whom are clinicians as well. Currently their work is concentrated in the following areas: cardio-metabolic syndrome (the combination of factors leading to the development of cardiovascular or metabolic diseases such as diabetes), cancer, neuroscience, infection-immunity-inflammation, musculoskeletal diseases, health risks, world health and patient care systems.
CRCHUM activities include every type of research in the field of healthcare: clinical, fundamental, diagnostic and epidemiological. These activities seek to promote better health and prevent illness, as well as solving health problems through the development of new therapies.
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Here are just a few recent examples of medical research projects at the CRCHUM:
Bone marrow stem cells to prevent heart failure
CRCHUM researchers have established an innovative research protocol to explore the role played by bone marrow stem cells in healing the heart after an initial heart attack (myocardial infarction). This research program seeks to develop a less invasive, less expensive alternative to current techniques for improving cardiac function, such as medical treatments and heart transplants. The procedure consists of implanting bone marrow stem cells in order to regenerate muscle tissue in the heart. The early results of the research have been very promising. This world first in research is being conducted jointly with the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital.
Ovarian and prostate cancer
Ovarian cancer is the most frequently fatal form of gynecological cancer because it is difficult to detect and often diagnosed only at an advanced stage. Prostate cancer, on the other hand, is the most widespread form of cancer among Canadians.
Two CRCHUM teams are working on these problems: one to find biological diagnostic markers for early detection of ovarian cancer, and the other to find a new marker that can predict whether prostate cancer will develop.
Chronic pain
According to researchers, one out of every five people in Quebec suffers from chronic pain. By 2025, with an aging population, this proportion may increase to 70%. Chronic pain is frequently not recognized as an illness, and treatment is often delayed because people who experience it hesitate to see a doctor. This is unfortunate, because the longer the pain persists without relief, the more chronic and resistant to treatment it becomes. In order to find solutions to this problem that affects an ever-increasing percentage of the population, the CRCHUM is taking part in the ACCORD (Concerted Application of Pain Knowledge and Resources) program, which is pooling existing knowledge about chronic pain. This partnership with the Fédération des aînés du Québec, professional associations and pain experts is currently supported by a grant of $2.5 million.
A new therapeutic target for treatment of MS
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic auto-immune disease of the central nervous system which affects some 55,000 young adults in Canada. In people afflicted by this disease, immune system cells (leucocytes) penetrate the brain and spinal cord and attack the protective substance known as myelin that covers the cells of the central nervous system. Destruction of the myelin causes loss of sensation, paralysis and disability. A CRCHUM study has shown that a molecule known as the "activated leucocyte adhesion molecule" (ALCAM) plays a major role in the migration of certain types of leucocytes to the brain. This molecule has become a new target for reducing the migration of immune cells to the brain and the resulting cerebral inflammation and lesions that characterize MS.