René Maltais, Ph. D.

Dr. René Maltais has been working as a medicinal chemist for over twenty years on the development of innovative bioactive molecules targeting major diseases such as cancer, endometriosis, and specific chronic and acute inflammatory diseases. He stands as a co-inventor of the anticancer molecule RM-581, which led to the creation of Neolys Pharma. He is also behind the design of PBRM, a 17 beta-HSD1 inhibitor developed for the treatment of endometriosis. This molecule, the discovery of which led to a partnership with Madrid-based pharmaceutical company Insud Pharma, is about to start clinical trials.

Dr. Maltais has written and co-written over 90 papers in internationally renowned scientific journals and given over 125 presentations at local, national, and international conferences. He is listed as an inventor in 10 patent applications. He is also a cofounder of the Organic Synthesis Service, a major component of the medicinal chemistry platform at the CHU de Québec. As head of this platform, Dr. Maltais has supervised more than 80 projects involving the synthesis of molecules of interest to researchers in the Quebec scientific community and beyond. He also plays an active role in training students in the laboratory, and has been contributing to various courses at Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine. These achievements led to him winning the national award for excellence from the Fonds de recherche en Santé du Québec in 2017.