Lead Researcher:
DR. MARIE-CLAUDE BOURGEOIS-DAIGNEAULT
What if a virus could be engineered to seek out and destroy cancer cells, and in doing so, train the immune system to keep fighting? That is the premise behind oncolytic virotherapy, and it is the focus of Dr. Marie-Claude Bourgeois-Daigneault's lab at the CRCHUM in Montreal.
Dr. Bourgeois-Daigneault's team develops cancer-killing viruses that infect and destroy tumour cells while triggering a broader immune response, effectively creating a vaccination effect against the disease. This approach targets not just the primary tumour, but metastases throughout the body, and may help prevent relapses.
The Sampalis Foundation supports a pre-clinical study aimed at identifying which early treatment responses lead to the best long-term outcomes -- findings that will guide the design of even more effective virus-based therapies. The team has deep expertise in breast cancer and has recently expanded into ovarian and cervical cancer, with results expected to apply broadly across solid tumours.
