Guy Sauvageau is the Founding Scientific Director of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC). He also holds the Canada Research...
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Guy Sauvageau is the Founding Scientific Director of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC). He also holds the Canada Research Chair in the Molecular Genetics of Stem Cells and is Full Professor with the Université de Montréal Department of Medicine. Dr. Sauvageau is a researcher and clinical practitioner, specializing in the transplantation of bone marrow-derived stem cells, called hematopoietic stem cells, and in the study of the molecular mechanism involved in their self-renewal.
Over the last ten years, Dr. Sauvageau’s work has led to ground-breaking discoveries in understanding the production of hematopoietic stem cells. With his research team, he identified the potential of the HOXB4 and Bmi1 genes which are instrumental in regulating the self-renewal of these cells. He went on to develop the recombinant HOXB4 protein that leads to the expansion of the hematopoietic stem cells. Clinical phases I and II of this work will soon begin, with umbilical cord blood as a source of essential stem cells for patients requiring a transplant when there is no compatible donor. These discoveries are a significant advance in the field of blood stem cell transplantation. Dr. Sauvageau’s research on the Bmi1 gene may lead to new ways to specifically eliminate tumor stem cells.
Before joining IRIC in 2002, Dr. Sauvageau worked as principal investigator at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal for seven years. Dr. Sauvageau holds numerous patents on applications that are under development for industrial and clinical use.
