Earlier this month, over 150 researchers from across McGill and partner institutions came together at Le Centre Sheraton for the inaugural DNA to RNA (D2R) Research Symposium.
McGill’s Vice President, Research and Innovation, Dominique Bérubé, and D2R Chief Scientific Officer, Philippe Gros, kicked off the event on Thursday, March 13th. Prof. Gros outlined the vision and strategic objectives of D2R, explained soon-to-launch funding opportunities, and introduced the audience to key members of the D2R team, from scientific leadership to investigators instrumental in shaping the initiative.
The opening session featured D2R partners who are helping extend the initiative’s impact across Canada and internationally. Representatives, including Sherif Abou Elela from the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS), Pieter Cullis from the University of British Columbia (UBC), and D2R Scientific Director Mark Lathrop, discussed the growing constellation of partners.
Relationships with community organizations such as Tahatikonhsontóntie’ Québec Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (QcNEIHR), represented in this session by McGill professor Treena Delormier, are foundational towards developing genomic-based RNA medicines for groups with unmet clinical needs, including Indigenous Peoples.
“To truly make a difference in health outcomes, we must connect with the individuals and communities we aim to help,” Prof. Bérubé contextualized, “involving these people in our research and tailoring our approaches to their unique needs and contexts is the essence of personalized medicine.”
Over the next two days, more than 30 researchers showcased their D2R-funded projects and fostered new connections within the D2R community. As presenters spoke about their Foundational Project, Research in Motion, Translational Impact Research, and Core Platform Sustainability projects, it not only became evident that there is a large breadth of research taking place within D2R, but also that the initiative is pushing funding boundaries to enable advances in RNA therapeutics and genomic medicine.
“D2R is aiming to fund high risk, high reward projects that won’t be funded by other funding agencies,” Prof. Gros stressed during his opening remarks.
One example of a high-risk RNA therapeutics D2R-funded project was presented by Dr. Guy Rouleau, Director of the Neuro. This project aims to develop the first RNA treatment for Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD), a rare genetic disease affecting skeletal muscles with a high prevalence in the French-Canadian population.
“French-Canadians have the second highest incidence rate of OPMD in any population worldwide,” Dr. Rouleau explained, “so our work aims to make a difference here in Québec.”
Pieter Cullis, a pioneer in the lipid nanoparticle field and professor at UBC, reiterated the importance of funding novel ideas across many research disciplines: “You cannot predict where the next breakthrough will come from. Sometimes the best strategy in life is luck. You need to fund a variety of research to be in the right position to be able to take advantage of that luck.”
While attendees of the Symposium represented many different research disciplines, from chemistry and genomics to the social sciences, it was clear that a common research purpose unites the D2R community.
“This event shows that people in D2R are working on research that is truly needed for the development of RNA therapeutics and genomic medicine,” remarked Raïssa Munderere, a doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Raïssa was amazed by the collaborative atmosphere in D2R: “these two days have given me the chance to have conversations with others and openly talk about my research.”
Presentations extended beyond fundamental RNA therapeutic research, including a session focusing on bioprocessing, biomanufacturing, and nanotechnology in which Taha Azad, Assistant Professor at UdeS, presented his research. Prof. Azad expressed gratitude for this opportunity to share his work: “It was a fantastic chance to expand my network. Often as an early-career researcher, you don’t need to increase your resources but only increase your collaborations.”
The morning of Day 2 ended with important discussions regarding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). D2R Associate Scientific Director Amélie Quesnel-Vallée emphasized that integrating EDI into research is essential to: “bring more cutting-edge solutions to more people. RNA therapeutic and genomic medicine research is well oriented for tailoring solutions to the needs of different people within our society.” Prof. Quesnel-Vallée further noted that: “More diverse teams bring more innovative solutions.”
Sixteen trainees shared their work on D2R-funded projects through scientific poster presentations. Three standout presenters were awarded poster prizes: Master’s student Dan Boghici (supervised by Silvia Vidal) and Doctoral students Zidi Lyu (Masad Damha) and Julia Fulber (Amine Kamen).
“It was an honour to present my research in front of this audience,” said Zidi Lyu. “All of us are working hard to push RNA therapeutic and genomic medicine forward, either in the lab or working with patients. This symposium is inspiring.”
The Symposium concluded with an open-mic session with D2R’s scientific leadership, including Profs. Gros, Lathrop, and Quesnel-Vallée along with Associate Scientific Director, Nathan Luedtke. Prof. Luedtke focused on the long-term impact that D2R could have: “I have no doubt that D2R will succeed in the long term. This event was clearly an amazing first step towards this long-term success. Now is the time of extreme opportunity in the RNA therapeutic and genomic medicine fields – D2R gives us the means to do that work.”
“Reach out to anyone you connected with here,” Prof. Quesnel-Vallée encouraged attendees. “If there was a spark there, it could be the start of meaningful collaboration.”
Prof. Gros closed the event by empowering the audience to go out and grow the D2R network even further: “This community and D2R is an incredible opportunity. Please reach out to everyone across different disciplines who might be interested in this initiative, there is room for everyone in D2R.”
View a photo gallery from the D2R Research Symposium here.
Learn more about D2R’s projects, funded researchers, and more by visiting mcgill.ca/D2R.
These two days filled with scientific discussion and budding collaborations were made possible by the participation and engagement of the D2R community and the generous support of the event’s sponsors, including Illumina, Moderna, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Biovectra, TriLink Biotechnologies, Deep Genomics, adMare BioInnovations, Charles River Laboratories, and Roche.