Jacques Simard holds a Canadian Research Chair in Oncogenetics since 2001. He is Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Laval University’s School of Medicine, and is a scientist at the CHUL since 1990.
He is the author of more than 430 publications, review articles and book chapters. His research focuses on the genetic susceptibility of hormone-dependent cancers, including breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. Specifically, he participated in the characterization of the impact of mutations in the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. He has been Director of the Interdisciplinary Health Research International Team on Breast Cancer Susceptibility (INHERIT BRCAs), an international interdisciplinary health research team on genetic susceptibility to breast cancer funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) 2001 -2007, which was renewed in 2008 for five years as the CIHR Team in Familial Risks of Breast Cancer. The establishment of this international team has allowed Dr. Simard to pursue numerous collaborations allowing him to accelerate the development of his oncogenetics research activities. Indeed, his close collaboration with several international consortia, notably the Breast Cancer Consortium Consortium (BCAC) and the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1 and BRCA2 (CIMBA), has led to a significant increase in the validity and the impact of scientific breakthroughs to improve the identification of women at increased risk of developing breast cancer which should benefit most from a better adapted clinical follow-up.
He is currently the principal investigator of a large-scale interdisciplinary project funded by Génome Québec/Genome Canada/CIHR/Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation (2013-2018) entitled Personalized Risk Stratification for Prevention and Early Detection of Breast Cancer (PERSPECTIVE), bringing together 27 co-researchers including fundamentalists, biostatisticians and clinicians from Quebec, Ontario, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany. This project is designed to develop the tools needed to implement a risk stratification approach that will target breast cancer screening in women most likely to develop the disease. In this context, recommendations on the starting age and frequency of mammography screening could be adapted for women’s individual risk of breast cancer. Indeed, risk stratification will better serve the subpopulation of younger women, who are at high risk of developing breast cancer, and who are currently missed by the standard age-based screening program as a criterion for eligibility. Since breast cancer in these young women often has a poorer prognosis, earlier detection and follow-up would improve survival rates, provide less aggressive treatment, reduce side effects, and increase their quality of life.
Pr. Simard is also a partner on two large European Commission Horizon 2020 (2015-2020) projects entitled BRIDGES (Breast Cancer Risk after Diagnostic Gene Sequencing) and B-CAST (Breast Cancer Stratification: Understanding the Determinants of Risk and Prognosis of Molecular Subtypes). Briefly, the BRIDGES project aims to develop a targeted prevention program for breast cancer, specifically to promote the health of women with a family history of the disease. In achieving its objectives, the BRIDGES program will improve targeted prevention of breast cancer, primarily in the context of oncogenetic clinics for breast cancer. To that end, Pr. Simard is the Principal Investigator of a grant from the Ministry of the Economy, Science and Innovation ($ 1.5 million) entitled PRÉVENTION (Predisposition, Prediction and Prevention of Breast Cancer), to substantially increase the collaboration of his interdisciplinary team with the BRIDGES project in order to validate and increase the impact of the discoveries made under the PERSPECTIVE project.
2705, boulevard Laurier
R-4720
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2
2705, boulevard Laurier
R-4787
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2
- Collin-Deschesnes, Annie-ClaudeEmployeeCHUL+1 418-525-4444, extension 49308 / 42296+1 418-654-2298Annie-C.C-Deschesnes@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
2705, boulevard Laurier
R-4756
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2 - Desjardins, SylvieEmployeeCHUL+1 418-525-4444, extension 42296+1 418-525-4444, extension 49091+1 418-654-2298sylvie.desjardins@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
2705, boulevard Laurier
R47056
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2 - Dubois, StéphaneEmployeeCHUL+1 418-525-4444, extension 42296+1 418-654-2298stephane.dubois@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
2705, boulevard Laurier
R-4720
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2 - Dumont, MartineEmployeeCHUL
2705, boulevard Laurier
R-4720
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2CHUL+1 418-525-4444, extension 42296+1 418-525-4444, extension 46406+1 418-654-2298martine.dumont@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
2705, boulevard Laurier
R-4784
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2 - Masse, SylvieEmployeeCHUL+1 418-525-4444, extension 42264+1 418-525-4444, extension 46247Sylvie.Masse@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
2705, boulevard Laurier
R-4-4788
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2 - Montalban Canudas, GemmaPostdoctoral fellowL'Hôtel-Dieu de Québec+1 418-525-4444, extension 16951gemma.montalban@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
9 Rue Mcmahon
Laboratoire du Dr. Masson
Québec, QC
Canada G1R 3S3 - Soucy, PennyEmployeeCHUL
2705, boulevard Laurier
R-4720
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2CHUL+1 418-525-4444, extension 42296+1 418-525-4444, extension 46355+1 418-654-2298penny.soucy@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca
2705, boulevard Laurier
R-4785
Québec, Québec
Canada G1V 4G2
Sequence kernel association test for survival outcomes in the presence of a non-susceptible fraction.
Journal ArticleBiostatistics, 21 (3), pp. 518-530, 2020, ISSN: 1465-4644.
Germline HOXB13 mutations p.G84E and p.R217C do not confer an increased breast cancer risk.
Journal ArticleSci Rep, 10 (1), pp. 9688, 2020, ISSN: 2045-2322.
Evaluation of associations between genetically predicted circulating protein biomarkers and breast cancer risk.
Journal ArticleInt J Cancer, 146 (8), pp. 2130-2138, 2020, ISSN: 0020-7136.
Survey of primary care physicians' views about breast and ovarian cancer screening for true BRCA1/2 non-carriers.
Journal ArticleJ Community Genet, 11 (2), pp. 205-213, 2020, ISSN: 1868-310X.
Identification of novel breast cancer susceptibility loci in meta-analyses conducted among Asian and European descendants.
Journal ArticleNat Commun, 11 (1), pp. 1217, 2020, ISSN: 2041-1723.
Genetically Predicted Levels of DNA Methylation Biomarkers and Breast Cancer Risk: Data From 228 951 Women of European Descent.
Journal ArticleJ Natl Cancer Inst, 112 (3), pp. 295-304, 2020, ISSN: 0027-8874.
Correction to: Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy, natural menopause, and breast cancer risk: an international prospective cohort of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.
Journal ArticleBreast Cancer Res, 22 (1), pp. 25, 2020, ISSN: 1465-5411.
Association of Genomic Domains in BRCA1 and BRCA2 with Prostate Cancer Risk and Aggressiveness.
Journal ArticleCancer Res, 80 (3), pp. 624-638, 2020, ISSN: 0008-5472.
A network analysis to identify mediators of germline-driven differences in breast cancer prognosis.
Journal ArticleNat Commun, 11 (1), pp. 312, 2020, ISSN: 2041-1723.
Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy, natural menopause, and breast cancer risk: an international prospective cohort of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.
Journal ArticleBreast Cancer Res, 22 (1), pp. 8, 2020, ISSN: 1465-5411.
Active projects
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Subvention, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec - Université Laval, Centres de recherche affiliés, from 2017-01-01 to 2099-12-31
- Centre de recherche sur le cancer, Subvention, Institutionnel - BDR, BDR - Centres de recherche reconnus, from 1996-05-01 to 2022-06-13
- Chaire de recherche du Canada en oncogénétique, Subvention, Secrétariat des Chaires de recherche du Canada, Chaires de recherche du Canada - Fonctionnement, from 2015-03-01 to 2022-06-30
- From correlation to causation in genomics: identifying mechanisms underlying disease, Subvention, Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada, Subventions Fondation, from 2015-07-01 to 2022-06-30
- Observatoire international sur les impacts sociétaux de l'intelligence artificielle et du numérique, Subvention, Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture, Appel à propositions : création d’un Observatoire international sur les impacts sociétaux de l’intelligence artificielle et du numérique, from 2018-04-01 to 2024-03-31
- Personalized Risk Assesment for Prevention and Early Detection of Breast Cancer : Integration and Implementation (PERSPECTIVE II), Subvention, Génome Canada, Projets de recherche appliquée à grande échelle - Large-Scale Applied Research Project, from 2017-11-01 to 2022-03-31
Recently finished projects
- Breast Cancer Risk after Diagnostic Gene Sequencing (BRIDGES), Subvention, Commission européenne, Programme-cadre pour le recherche et l'innovation: Horizon 2020, from 2015-01-09 to 2020-01-08
- Breast CAncer STratification: understanding the determinants of risk and prognosis of molecular subtypes (B-CAST), Subvention, Commission européenne, Programme-cadre pour le recherche et l'innovation: Horizon 2020, from 2015-01-09 to 2020-01-08
- GE3LS Network in genomics and personalized health, Subvention, Génome Canada, from 2016-01-01 to 2019-12-31
- Journée de la recherche de la Faculté de médecine, Subvention, Institutionnel - BDR, Fonds général de recherche du CRSNG, from 2010-11-24 to 2020-03-31
- Next generation integrative genomics (RS3).NGS data analysis or consultation., Subvention, Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé, Réseaux thématiques de recherche, from 2010-04-01 to 2019-06-30