Médicament Québec announces $1.3 million in funding for the DePTAQ Network
Annoucement from Médicament Québec published on March 16, 2026
Montréal, QC, March 16, 2026 — Médicament Québec (MQ), with the support of the Government of Québec, announces $1.3 million in funding to initiate a collaborative, structuring initiative mobilizing the platforms of the Québec RNA Therapeutics Development and Production Network (DePTAQ). This initiative will enable the operational integration of the network’s platforms to accelerate the development of innovative RNA therapeutics for the benefit of patients.
« By supporting the implementation of DePTAQ, Médicament Québec continues its mission to advance structuring initiatives that transform cutting-edge expertise into accessible and operational platforms for the entire ecosystem. »
Arianne Trudeau
Executive Director, Médicament Québec
Created and supported by AReNA, Québec’s RNA hub, and built on three complementary academic platforms from the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), McGill University, and Université de Sherbrooke, DePTAQ provides a single access point offering the academic, clinical, and industrial communities a full range of services, from RNA therapeutic design to preclinical-scale production.
« This initiative concretely illustrates how complementary platforms can be brought together in synergy to accelerate innovation and strengthen Québec’s position in the field of RNA therapeutics. »
Véronique Dugas
President and CEO, CQDM (organization responsible for the AReNA initiative)
The activity funded by Médicament Québec aims to simultaneously mobilize the three DePTAQ platforms around collaborative pilot projects in order to implement an integrated approach built on platform synergy. In this context, Dr. Geneviève Bernard (McGill University), Dr. Taha Azad (Université de Sherbrooke), and NumBio Therapeutics will leverage the network’s capabilities to advance their RNA therapeutics projects.
« This initiative allows us to test and optimize, under real-world conditions, the integration of the platforms while harmonizing practices and developing high-potential pilot projects. »
Dr. Benoit Chabot
Professor, Université de Sherbrooke
The initiative also relies on collaboration with industry partners Galenvs Sciences, NemRod, NumBio Therapeutics, Element Biosciences, Oxford Nanopore Technologies and New England Biolabs, which will contribute complementary expertise to the DePTAQ platforms and support the project, further strengthening the alignment between academic capabilities and industry needs.
This structuring initiative will lay the necessary foundations for DePTAQ to transition from a conceptual stage to a fully operational infrastructure capable of accelerating RNA therapeutic development, strengthening the local supply chain, and positioning Québec as a leading hub for RNA innovation.
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Information
Arianne Trudeau
Project Director
Médicament Québec
arianne.trudeau@umontreal.ca
About Médicament Québec
Médicament Québec, an initiative funded by the Government of Québec, brings together research and teaching institutions as well as companies around a shared mission. Its goal is to increase Québec’s and Canada’s autonomy and dynamism in bioinnovation and biomanufacturing. Médicament Québec supports structuring and collaborative academic activities to strengthen local drug supply chains.
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Dr. Panagiotis Prinos, Ph. D.
panagiotis.prinos@mcgill.ca
