When he arrived at the CRCHUM in 2018, Gerardo Ferbeyre brought his experience in basic research on the body’s protection mechanisms against cancer and his unique point of view as a biochemist. He was attracted by the possibility of seeing how his work could strengthen clinical research and make it closer to the reality of patients.
He was recruited to the CRCHUM by the Cancer Research Theme under the supervision of Anne-Marie Mes-Masson and contributed to important discoveries on the metabolism of cancer cells. Today he is the chairholder of the CIBC Chair in Causes of Breast Cancer at Université de Montréal and head of the Cancer Research Theme since May 1, 2024. He’s continuing his research on cellular senescence—a dormant state in which cells stop dividing—and anti-cancer therapies.
A promising treatment
In August 2023, Ferbeyre was awarded a $2.4 million grant from the Terry Fox Research Institute to conduct research aimed at preventing resistance to chemotherapy by targeting senescent cells, which seem to evade treatment and contribute to the recurrence of cancers, particularly of the prostate and pancreas.
The innovative method developed by him and his colleagues, called “one-two punch,” consists of inducing the senescence of cancer cells—their premature aging—and eradicating them.
The laboratory’s basic research is first carried out using animals from the CRCHUM animal facility. The scientists also use the CRCHUM biobanking core facility to obtain human cancer tissue samples, as well as the microfluidics core facility to observe the effects of the one-two punch strategy on the tissues, thus confirming the effectiveness of the method.
A defining discovery
Another highlight of the last year for Ferbeyre’s laboratory is undoubtedly the publication of an article signed by Stéphane Lopes-Paciencia and other researchers from his team in the prestigious journal Cell Reports, in which they establish the crucial role of chromatin in the response of cells to oncogenic stress.
When they detect the presence of stress that promotes the appearance of tumours, cells can set up responses, such as cell death or cell senescence, thereby preventing the proliferation of potential tumour cells. Researchers have o served that oncogenic stress opens chromatin—a substance that packs and organizes DNA in cells—and that this opening can be artificially induced to accelerate senescence.
Gerardo Ferbeyre also notes an astonishing fact: “Research over the past 50 years has focused on the coding part of the genome, which accounts for only 5% of the entire genome. The rest remains a mystery and we found that the chromatin opening process, which occurs during senescence, targets this noncoding region.” By exposing the non coding chromatin to different drugs, senescence can be induced. The study also reveals that chromatin retains a memory of oncogenic stress—an interesting pathway to exploit when developing cancer therapies.
Through his research and his various roles, Ferbeyre wishes to leave his mark in several ways: “On a human level, I hope to contribute to reducing human suffering. As a researcher, I would like to discover answers to the big questions that have not yet been solved by science. As a teacher, I am proud to train the new generations who will take over. And as Director of the Cancer Research Theme, I would like to follow in the footsteps of excellence of the person before me. ”
This portrait is taken from our 2023-2024 Activity Report
