Our People
Biologists, chemists, and computational scientists working together to advance stem cell research and leukemia genomics at IRIC, Université de Montréal.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Guy Sauvageau is the Principal Investigator of the Molecular Genetics of Stem Cells research unit at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC). He is also a practicing hematologist at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in the bone marrow (stem cell) transplantation program. Dr. Sauvageau completed his MD and Hematology training at Université de Montréal and his PhD at UBC in the department of Experimental Medicine (stem cell biology and genetics) under the supervision of Drs. Keith Humphries, Peter Lansdorp and Connie Eaves at the Terry Fox Laboratory. He is also the recipient of the Bégin-Plouffe Chair in chemogenomics at Université de Montréal.
The Sauvageau team focuses on the characterization of the mechanisms by which normal (and leukemia) blood stem cells uniquely undergo self-renewal divisions, a process deemed critical for successful stem cell transplantation and leukemic outgrowth. Using a well-articulated combination of genetic, chemical and bioinformatics tools, members of his laboratory — representing more than 125 trainees over the last 30 years — have identified several key determinants of this mechanism of action. This notably led, in collaboration with Dr. Anne Marinier at IRIC, to the development of the small molecule UM171 that promotes the expansion of human cord blood-derived stem cells ex vivo.
This breakthrough finding has been successfully translated to the clinic under the leadership of Drs. Sandra Cohen and Jean Roy in Canada and Filippo Milano in the US. More than 100 patients have been transplanted with UM171-expanded grafts with outstanding clinical results. In 2023, this data was packaged by ExCellThera, a small biotechnology company co-founded by Guy Sauvageau, to submit a request for accelerated approval in Europe for patients that lack a suitable donor.
Dr. Sauvageau is also the leader of the Leucegene initiative, co-led by Drs. Josée Hébert (cytogeneticist), Anne Marinier (chemist), Vincent Lavallée (clinical molecular genetics), Sébastien Lemieux (bioinformatician) and several other co-investigators. Leucegene, largely supported by Genome Canada/Québec, stands as one of the most extensive initiatives aimed at understanding the genetics of acute myeloid leukemia and advancing new therapeutic approaches for the disease.
A highly collaborative and creative scientist, team builder, and visionary, Dr. Sauvageau spearheaded in 2003, with Dr. Pierre Chartrand and several other scientists, the development of a new systems-biology institute, IRIC, which he led as scientific director and eventually general director for 12 years, recruiting 27 principal investigators. He also played a major role as a co-founder of the Center for Cell Therapy of Montréal at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont with Drs. Jean Roy and Denis-Claude Roy (director), and co-founder of the Québec Leukemia Cell Bank with Dr. Josée Hébert (director).
Céline obtained her Ph.D. in Genetics from the University Paris 6, France. In collaboration with Pierre Fabre Pharmaceutics, she studied epigenetics and the mechanisms involved in tumor suppressor gene silencing in breast and prostate cancers. In 2013, she joined Dr. Guy Sauvageau’s lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow and now leads the chemo-genomic group of the Leucegene project, which aims to find alternative therapeutic options for poor-prognosis subtypes of AML.
Sam obtained his Ph.D. in 2018 in Molecular Biology from the Université de Montréal under Dr. Sylvie Mader’s supervision. His research work focused on understanding mechanisms underlying luminal breast tumor specification and investigating subtype-specific transcription factor networks. Houssam subsequently pursued his postdoctoral studies with Dr. Anne Marinier and Dr. Sylvie Mader in medicinal chemistry before joining the Drug Discovery Unit to lead research on the non-hematopoietic applications of the UM171 program together with Dr. Guy Sauvageau. Houssam officially joined the Sauvageau lab in summer 2024 as a research associate. He continues to lead UM171 research efforts in non-hematopoietic systems, as well as the biology team for the mubritinib research program. Houssam also brings substantial expertise in medical writing, having collaborated with physicians across Canada since 2019 as a freelance medical writer.
First as a postdoctoral fellow and then as a research associate, Jalila Chagraoui has over 15 years of experience in stem cell biology in the laboratory and contributed to the progression of most studies involving normal hematopoietic stem cell function. As a senior member, she has mentored numerous postdoctoral fellows and Ph.D. students, and her expertise in flow cytometry and cell-based assays adapted for high-throughput screening led to the identification of the small molecule UM171, which promotes the expansion of human HSCs (currently being translated in clinic).
Loïc joined Dr. Guy Sauvageau’s lab as a CEGEP student intern in 2024. He then became a full member of the team as a laboratory technical assistant. Since then, he has been working under Simon Girard’s mentorship to uncover new insights into the mechanism of action of UM171, a small molecule identified by the laboratory in 2015 that enables ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells.
Nadine obtained her Master’s degree in Biophysics at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. She then joined Guy Sauvageau’s Molecular Genetics of Stem Cells laboratory in 1998 as a research assistant. She now takes care of the cell culture and in vivo experiments in the lab.
Simon graduated (B.Sc. in Biology) from UQAM in 1996. Until 1999, he worked on NK cells at the Institut Armand-Frappier, where he obtained an M.Sc. degree in Immunology and Virology. He joined the Sauvageau lab the same year as a research agent and was initially interested in PcG gene functions, helping, among other things, in the identification of novel interaction partners for BMI1. Simon is currently participating in the effort to decipher the molecular mechanisms involved in the cellular response to UM171, the lab’s lead compound for the ex vivo expansion of human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells.
Postdoctoral Fellow
alexandre.gomes.de.macedo.maganin@umontreal.ca
Ph.D. Student
Hematologist & Cytogeneticist
Co-founder and director of the Quebec Leukemia Cell Bank at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont. Full professor at Université de Montréal and holder of the Industrielle-Alliance Research Chair in Leukemia.
Medicinal Chemist
Head of the IRIC Drug Discovery Unit, the largest medicinal chemistry group in a Canadian university setting. Earned her Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at Université de Sherbrooke.
Bioinformatician
Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at Université de Montréal, specializing in sequence and microarray data analysis and integration of experimental data.
Hematologist & Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator and Hematologist at CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, studying cellular heterogeneity in pediatric cancers, particularly acute leukemias.