The Institut du cancer de Montréal (Institut) was the first francophone cancer research institute in North America. The Institut was founded in 1947 by the pathologist Louis-Charles Simard and his fellow gastroenterologist Antonio Cantero. These two doctors from the Hôpital Notre-Dame formed a collaboration in order to better understand a disease they had been diagnosing with increasing frequency: cancer. Although the Institut is independent, it originally operated out of the Hôpital Notre-Dame, benefiting from a modern hospital environment. Several years later, in order to better serve its mission of educating young researchers, the Institut joined the Université de Montréal.

In the following decades, the Institut continued to refine its missions. The researchers of the Institut went on to attain international attention under the banner of “The Montreal Group” when the prestigious journal Cancer Research dedicated its editorial to the teams work. This recognition consolidated and rewarded the team’s effort and encouraged the Institut to continue its training program.