Canada's First Center of Excellence in the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance

On November 11, 2024, the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS), the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l'Estrie - Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke (CIUSSS de l'Estrie - CHUS) and bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, announce a three-year agreement to create a Canadian center of excellence dedicated to the fight against antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic stewardship. This is the first partnership of its kind in Canada, and bioMérieux's 15th worldwide. The announcement was made in the presence of Christopher Skeete, Minister for the Economy.

Since 2021, bioMérieux, in partnership with hospitals, has been creating centers of excellence dedicated to antibiotic stewardship around the world to raise awareness of the threat of antimicrobial resistance and maximize the impact of infectious disease diagnostics, facilitating treatment management and providing better patient care.

Improving patient care

The CIUSSS de l'Estrie - CHUS serves a population of over 500,000 people through some 100 facilities, including eight medical biology laboratories that perform an average of 14 million analyses per year. With its focus on innovation, the establishment is recognized for the involvement and expertise of microbiology in monitoring antibiotic resistance, as well as for the continuous improvement of its analytical menu in terms of response times and quality.

By collaborating with researchers from the UdeS Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMSS) and the CHUS Research Center, and by integrating advanced diagnostic technologies developed by bioMérieux, this partnership will also promote exchanges with other international centers of excellence, as well as with Canadian hospital laboratories. Ultimately, this initiative aims to provide better care for the Quebec and Canada population through optimized antimicrobial resistance management, thereby improving patient care..

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“Foster the development and promotion of best practices”

“We are very proud of this partnership, which marks the opening of bioMérieux's first Center of Excellence in Canada. The CIUSSS de l'Estrie - CHUS and the FMSS de l'UdeS have distinguished themselves through their commitment to innovation and research, as well as their ability to collaborate on cutting-edge initiatives in the fight against antibiotic resistance. This new partnership with bioMérieux will foster the development and promotion of best practices that will directly benefit patients and the healthcare system”, says Julie Émond, Vice-President and General Manager of bioMérieux Canada.

Minister for the Economy Christopher Skeete declared: “I salute the partnership between the Université de Sherbrooke, CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS and bioMérieux Canada for the creation of their first Center of Excellence dedicated to antimicrobial control in Canada, located in Sherbrooke. Research and innovation are at the heart of economic development, and we can be proud to see our ecosystem players working together for the health and well-being of Quebecers."

“The designation of the CIUSSS de l'Estrie - CHUS and the Université de Sherbrooke as a Center of Excellence is based on the synergy between our comprehensive clinical environment and our various research teams. This announcement will enable us to develop innovative approaches for the population's well-being, and to share our expertise with the entire healthcare network,” adds Annie Boisvert, Associate Director General - General and Specialized Physical Health Program, CIUSSS de l'Estrie - CHUS.

For Pierre Cossette, Rector of the Université de Sherbrooke, “this designation consolidates the tradition of excellence uniting the UdeS and the CIUSSS de l'Estrie - CHUS. It will help enhance cutting-edge research at the Université de Sherbrooke by facilitating access to innovations and advanced technologies. It also represents a remarkable lever for our professors, who will be able to benefit from a vast network of collaborators, fostering the sharing of ideas and knowledge, as well as providing a rich learning environment for our students.”

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Strength of the partnership and entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem

This designation also testifies to the strength of Sherbrooke's partnership and entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. Lumed, founded by two FMSS students and a professor, specializes in the development of medical decision support software to improve antimicrobial prescriptions. The remarkable evolution of this Sherbrooke-based business, followed by its acquisition by bioMérieux in 2024, will enable the two companies to work in synergy to improve patient care and combat antibiotic resistance.

“Today's announcement is a great source of pride. Once again, we have a concrete example that our research activities, scientific advances and discoveries can be propelled and enhanced through our strategic partnerships”, says Louis Valiquette, co-founder of Lumed, professor and assistant to the dean for structuring projects at FMSS, microbiologist and infectious diseases expert at CIUSSS de l'Estrie - CHUS and researcher at the CHUS Research Centre.