The New MUHC: world-class facilities for remarkable discoveries

The Researchers of the McGill University Health Centre: On the front lines of the fight against infectious disease

Marc from Sherbrooke is ready to receive his vaccination against H1N1 flu. Karima, a Montrealer, has gotten her shots in preparation for a tropical vacation. In a small village in rural Peru, Fernanda and her family may soon receive a drug that will protect them from the deadly parasite Leishmania. They aren’t aware of it, but these three strangers share a unique bond: they have all benefited from discoveries made by the expert scientists of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC). From the lab bench to the bed side From H1N1 flu to tuberculosis, West Nile Virus, malaria and HIV, thousands of infectious diseases threaten people around the world every day. This is why the researchers of the RI MUHC are working tirelessly to unravel the mystery of how infectious diseases interact with the human immune system, and to develop targeted vaccines to protect us against them. Dr. Brian Ward, Associate Director of the RI MUHC, is a key player in this world-class team. “Because we are internationally recognized for our expertise, the MUHC is home to one of only two laboratories in Canada certified to test for some of the most deadly infectious diseases as part of the National Centre for Parasitology,” he says proudly. The New MUHC: world-class facilities for remarkable discoveries Already armed with some of the finest research minds in the world, Ward and his colleagues are about to get a new weapon in their arsenal: cutting-edge facilities. At the new MUHC on the Glen, Mountain and Lachine campuses, scientists will benefit from more than 40,000 square metres of ultramodern research space that will rival any research facility of its kind in North America. “By consolidating the majority of our research activities in a new Research Centre on the Glen Campus, researchers will work side-by-side with clinicians and their patients for a stronger collaboration,” Ward explains. The new MUHC will feature research spaces designed to accommodate the most advanced technologies and to encourage creativity and discovery, providing researchers with the tools they need to discover new treatments and cures. At the Glen, the cutting-edge Centre for Innovative Medicine will be home to the Vaccine Challenge Unit: a unique facility designed to safely test new vaccines for deadly infectious diseases. Recognizing the incredible promise of the new Research Centre at the Glen, the Canada Foundation for Innovation awarded the MUHC the largest single grant in its history: $100 million. Supplemented by an additional $100 million from the Government of Quebec and $50 million from donors, this historic contribution will help ensure that scientists like Brain Ward can continue to find new ways of fighting the invisible enemy that is infectious disease. For Marc, Karima, Fernanda and millions of others in Quebec and around the world, this is good news indeed. MUHC Research at a glance The RI MUHC is home to more than 600 researchers and almost 1,200 doctoral and post-doctoral students More than $130 million were invested in research at the MUHC last year More than 100 research labs will be moved to the new research facilities at the Glen Campus