Dr. Marc Therrien is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Principal Investigator at the institute, and Full Professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology at the Faculty of Medicine of the Université de Montréal (UdeM). He also holds the Canada Research Chair in Intracellular Signaling.
Dr. Therrien earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from UdeM in 1993, where his research under Jacques Drouin focused on gene transcription regulation, laying the groundwork for his scientific career. He then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, under the supervision of Gerald M. Rubin. During this time, he identified several key components of the RAS-MAPK signaling pathway, critical for understanding various cancers.
Upon returning to Montreal in 1999, he joined the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (IRCM) as a Principal Investigator before becoming a founding member of IRIC in 2003. At IRIC, he leads the Intracellular Signaling Research Unit, where his team investigates the molecular mechanisms driving cell proliferation and differentiation. His work, particularly on KSR pseudokinases and CNK proteins, has led to the discovery of new therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.
Dr. Therrien has also played a strategic role in IRIC’s development, serving as Deputy Scientific Director and later as Scientific Director. In 2024, he succeeded Dr. Michel Bouvier as CEO of IRIC, where he continues to promote scientific excellence and enhance the institute’s international reputation.
His research has been published in leading scientific journals, and he has mentored numerous students and postdoctoral fellows, further amplifying the impact of his discoveries on cancer treatment and cellular signaling.
