A long way from its humble beginnings, the Shriners Hospital unveiled its new state-of-the-art research facility Wednesday.
Featuring eight laboratories and 2,700 square metres of space, the facility has one mission: understanding bones.
“You don't only treat the disease - you need to understand it entirely to be able to intervene in the most efficient way with the least side effects,” explained Dr. Rene St-Arnaud, director of the Shriners Research Centre Canada.
The Shriners in Montreal has already made breakthroughs in brittle bone disease and rickets.
“I think we're different because we super specialized,” St-Arnaud explained. “We study only bone tissue.”
The cutting-edge research at Shriners can lead to fewer surgeries, the detection of rare diseases and the advancement of care in metabolic bone disease.
For the Shriners, it's a proud moment for the hospital as a whole.
“It's a home away from home. The kids come here, they never think they're in a hospital,” said Gino Berretta, chairman of Shriners Hospitals for Sick Children Canada.
This facility has come a long way, said Francis Glorieux, who led the Shriners first research lab in Montreal 40 years ago.
“My first lab was one single room,” he said, adding that he leaves behind “a legacy.”
St-Arnaud, his protege, plans to continue that legacy in a space that surprised even him.
“The lab designs exceed my wildest expectations. It's spacious space,” he said.
