Research Grants

List of major research grants* 

“Scleroderma Quebec provides financial support to the main scleroderma research groups in Quebec and is proud to have contributed nearly 3 673 660 $ to many highly promising research projects, which are above all, a source of hope for those who are ill.”

• The University of Montreal Scleroderma Research Chair, a philanthropic Chair established in 2005 at the instigation of Scleroderma Quebec and Dr. Jean-Luc Senécal, in partnership with the University of Montreal, its Faculty of Medicine, the CHUM and the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM). Clinical, basic and translational research is carried out in close collaboration with the Immunoregulation Laboratory of the CHUM Research Centre, directed by Dr. Marika Sarfati, and the Laboratory for Research in Autoimmunity (LABRAI), CRCHUM, directed by Dr. Senécal.

• Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital is a public healthcare institution managed by the CIUSSS (Integrated University Health and Social Services Center) of the Center-West of the Island of Montreal.

• The Canadian Scleroderma Research Group (CSRG) at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, in partnership with McGill University and the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research in Montreal, was estab[1]lished in 2004. The CSRG maintains a registry of data collected from a large number of patients. Dre Marie Hudson and several scleroderma research projects benefit from the data contained in this valuable registry.

• The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN), led by Dr. Brett Thombs, is affiliated with the Jewish General Hospita[1]land McGill University. Its mission is to work with people living with scleroderma to develop, and disseminate accessible patient interven[1]tion programs that improve quality of life and empower people with scleroderma and their loved ones.

As of December 31, 2024,

CHUM Research Center
Chairholder: Sabrina Anh-Tu Hoa, M.D.
Grant amount: $128,660

Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital
Research activity grant awarded by Scleroderma Quebec to JGH fot the 2024 research initiatives for systemic sclerosis, Dr. Marie Hudson”
Grant amount: $25,000

Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital
Research activity grant awarded by Scleroderma Quebec to JGH for the 2024 research initiatives of the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN), Dr. Brett Thombs.
Grant amount: $20,000

2023

CHUM Research Center
Chairholder: Sabrina Anh-Tu Hoa, M.D.
Grant amount: $155,000

Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital
Research activity grant awarded by Scleroderma Quebec to JGH fot the 2023 research initiatives for systemic sclerosis, Dr. Marie Hudson”
Grant amount: $25,000

Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital
Research activity grant awarded by Scleroderma Quebec to JGH for the 2023 research initiatives of the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN), Dr. Brett Thombs.
Grant amount: $20,000

2022

CHUM Research Centre
Chairholder: Jean-Luc Senécal, M.D.
Grant amount: $121,000

Canadian Scleroderma Research Group
Maintenance and updating of the CSRG database
Grant amount: $25,000

Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital
Research activity grant awarded by Scleroderma Quebec to JGH for the 2023 research initiatives for systemic sclerosis, Dr. Marie Hudson”
Grant amount: $62,500

2021

CHUM Research Centre
Chairholder: Jean-Luc Senécal, M.D.
Grant amount: $190,000 ($155,000 to the CHUM Research Centre, and $35,000 for the purchase of the BD Rhapsody)

2020

CHUM Research Centre
Chairholder: Jean-Luc Senécal, M.D.
Grant amount: $135,000

Canadian Scleroderma Research Group
Maintenance and updating of the CSRG database
Grant amount: $20,000

2019

CHUM Scleroderma Research Chair-related subscription fund
Chairholder: Jean-Luc Senécal, M.D.
Grant amount: $100,000 ($75,000 to the immunoregulation lab at CRCHUM and $25,000 to the Scleroderma Research Chair of the University of Montreal)

2018

CHUM Research Centre
Chairholder: Jean-Luc Senécal, M.D.
Grant amount: $25,000

Financial support to the CHUM Research Centre for the purchase of the best version of the BD FACSymphony High Speed Analyzer system.  This cutting-edge high parameter flow cytometer, of unparallelled capabilities enables the simultaneous measurement of up to 50 different characteristics of a single cell.  This novel cell analyser, worth close to one and a half million dollars, still has a very limited distribution in North America.  The BD FACSymphony will be used primarily by the scleroderma research Chair and will also be made available to all medical research teams at the CHUM Research Centre who are impatiently awaiting it.
Grant amount: $400,000

2018-2020
Project “Precision medecine and cellular epigenomics”
Lady Davis For Medical Research Institute – Jewish General Hospital
Grant amount: $45,000

2018-2022
Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network
Financial support of the SPIN-SHARE project
Grant amount: $50,000

2017
CHUM Scleroderma Research Chair-related subscription fund
Chairholder: Jean-Luc Senécal, M.D.
Grant amount: $100,000

2015
Scleroderma Research Group of the CHUM (SRG-CHUM)
Research fund – Martial Koenig, M. D.
Grant amount: $15,000

2014
Scleroderma Research Group of the CHUM (SRG-CHUM)
Research fund – Martial Koenig, M. D.
Grant amount: $15,000

2011-2012
Scleroderma Research Group of the CHUM (SRG-CHUM)
Principal investigator: Jean-Luc Senécal, M.D.
Research Project related to the work of the Scleroderma Research Chair of the Université de Montréal 
Grant amount: $300,000

2010-2012
Canadian Scleroderma Research Group (GRCS),
McGill University and Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital
Principal investigator: Brett D. Thombs, Ph.D.
Research Project: Consortium for clinical trials of behavioral, psychological, and educational interventions in scleroderma: Initial planning meeting & Coordinator for the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network.
Grant amount: 8 000 $

2009-2011
Scleroderma Research Group of the CHUM (SRG-CHUM)
Establishment grant for Martial Koenig, M.D. (recruitment of a multidisciplinary team for the SRG-CHUM).
Grant amount: $150,000

2007-2012
Canadian Scleroderma Research Group (CSRG)
Principal investigator: Murray Baron, M.D., Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital
Research Project: Establishment of a pan-Canadian multicenter registry of scleroderma patients
Grant amount: $40,000

2007-2010
SRG-CHUM
Principal investigator: Jean-Luc Senécal, M.D.
Research Project: The pathologic role of autoantibodies in scleroderma lung disease Chair 
Grant amount: $252,000

2002
CHUM Scleroderma Research Group (SRG-CHUM)
Principal investigator: Jean-Luc Senécal, M.D.
Research Project: Anticentomere autoantibodies in scleroderma lung Disease. 
Grant amount: $16,000

 * during the period from 2000 onwards.

Scleroderma Quebec’s fellowships
to students under the supervision of 
Dr. Jean-Luc Senécal, SRG-CHUM:

2007-2009  
Master’s Scholarship
Amount: $35,700
Karine Beauchemin, B.Sc., M.Sc. candidate, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal.
Research Project: Molecular and cellular characterization of topoisomerase DNA interaction with the cell surface of fibroblasts.

2005-2006
Master’s Scholarship
Amount: $17,850
Karine Lamy, B.Sc., M.Sc. candidate, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal.
Research Project: Characterization of the binding of the centromeric protein CENP-B to smooth muscle cells and its relevance to scleroderma.

2004-2006
Fellowship Award        
Amount: $50,000
Martial Koenig, M. D. hospital assistant specialist (internal medicine)
University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, France.
Research projects: Autoantibodies in autoimmune myositis in French Canadians
Diagnostic and prognostic value of autoantibodies in isolated Raynaud’s phenomenon and systemic sclerosis in French Canadians.

2003-2008
Doctoral Fellowship 
Amount: $90,000 
Geneviève Robitaille, M.Sc., Ph.D. candidate, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal.
Research Project: The role of autoantibodies directed against centromere protein B in the pathophysiology of systemic sclerosis.

2003-2006
Doctoral Fellowship 
Amount: $54,000
Julie Arcand, B.Sc., Ph.D. candidate, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal.
Research Project: Characterization of the interaction of autoantibodies anti-DNA topoisomerases with fibroblasts in systemic sclerosis.

2002-2005
Doctoral Fellowship
Amount: $45,000
Jill Hénault, M.Sc., Ph. D. candidate, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal.
Research Project: The role of anti-fibroblast autoantibodies in triggering and sustaining the autoimmune cascade and its fibrogenic consequences.

2002-2004
Master’s Scholarship
Amount: $26,000
Mélanie Tremblay, B.Sc. (Biochemistry), M.Sc. candidate, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal.
Research Project: Identification and characterization of a new fibroblast autoantigen involved in scleroderma.

THE SCLERODERMA RESEARCH CHAIR

In 2005, Scleroderma Quebec has pledged a total of $1 million to the Scleroderma Research Chair of the Université de Montréal in support of scleroderma research. 

These are the amounts paid to date by Scleroderma Quebec to the Chair:

$100,000 (April 2005), $150,000 (November 2005), $187,500 (November 2006),
$93,750 (January 2008), $93,750 (November 2008), $93,750 (December 2009),
$25,000 (October 2016), $25,000 (July 2017), $31,250 (August 2018),
and $25,000 (August 2019), 25 000 $ (June 2022), 25 000 $ (April 2023), 25 000 $ (April 2024) : totaling $900,000.

As of April 30, 2024, the fair market value of this endowed Chair is $1,739,425.