News

Québec Science honours Michel Tremblay and the McGill Cancer Centre

Published: 10 June 2008

Magazine’s readers voted cancer breakthrough as Quebec’s “Discovery of the Year”

A breast cancer breakthrough made by McGill Cancer Centre Director Michel Tremblay and his team was named Quebec’s top discovery of 2007 in the “Ten Discoveries of the Year” award compiled by Québec Science, as voted on by the magazine’s readers.

On Tuesday, June 10, Pascale Millot, associate editor-in-chief of Québec Science, will present a plaque commemorating the award to Dr. Tremblay at a ceremony to be held at McGill University’s Holmes Hall. Ms. Millot will be accompanied by Professor Denis Thérien, Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations) and Dr. Richard I. Levin, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.

What: Québec Science “Discovery of the Year 2007” awards ceremony

When: Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Where: Holmes Hall
3605 de la Montagne (corner of Docteur Penfield)
Montreal, Quebec H3G 2M1

Admission: This event is open to the media, but not the general public.


BACKGROUND

Dr. Michel L. Tremblay, his colleague Sofi Julien and their Cancer Centre colleagues carried out fundamental cancer research which uncovered the role played by a gene associated with the propagation of breast cancer in two out of five affected women. The researchers discovered that halting the activity of this gene in mice predisposed to cancer significantly slowed the growth of – and in some cases, prevented – tumours. Several years earlier, Tremblay and his colleagues linked the same gene to obesity and diabetes.

SELECTED COMMENTS FROM QUÉBEC SCIENCE READERS:

I think this is a very important discovery which will save live. It’s important to study neurons and things, but it’s something else again to understand the genes responsible for a disease as serious as cancer, which destroys millions of lives every year. Bravo for this magnificent discovery and please carry on!

- Nicolas Rioux, Baie-Comeau

If ONE pharmaceutical could cure breast cancer and diabetes and help control the obesity problem, it would be a miracle! Thank you, Dr. Tremblay for focusing on this gene.

- Martine Bertrand, Montréal

Diabetes and breast cancer each claim many lives in Canada. We can’t be apathetic about this, we’ve got to take action, because now we have a chance, thanks to Michel L. Tremblay to save lives. Let’s all support scientific research!

- Eric Archambault, Joliette

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