Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine

What Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine does

The Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine is a public, non-profit pediatric and maternal-child research center operating within the CHU Sainte-Justine university hospital in Montreal, affiliated with the Université de Montréal. Founded in 1974 (renamed following Azrieli Foundation philanthropy in 2012-2013), the center employs approximately 606 staff and sustains a broader research community of over 1,100 including 469 graduate students, 93 postdoctoral fellows, and 500+ CEGEP and undergraduate interns. Its mission is translational pediatric research spanning brain and child development, fetal-maternal-neonatal pathologies, infectious diseases, metabolic and cardiovascular health, immune diseases and cancer, and musculoskeletal health with medical technologies. The center delivers research through a portfolio of specialized platforms: WONDER (an open-science meta-platform federating 11 databases across 5 provinces), PRISME (an explainable AI and immersive-reality diagnostic platform for neurodevelopmental disorders), FDNIRS/DCS optical neuromonitoring for premature infants, ProteoFusioNEO (a computational proteomics tool applied to 5,100+ pediatric cancer transcriptomes), InnoviLab (a pediatric rehabilitation living laboratory with immersive environments), 3D imaging and single-cell RNA sequencing for cardiac development, custom neuron and brain organoid models, plus the URCHOI clinical research unit managing 100+ active pediatric trials.

The business model is that of a publicly funded research institution: the center does not sell products or services commercially and operates without a pricing model. Funding flows from three primary streams: government research grants from Canadian tri-council agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC), provincial bodies (FRQ, Genome Québec), and national infrastructure funds (Brain Canada, Canada Foundation for Innovation); philanthropic donations through Fondation CHU Sainte-Justine, Fondation Charles-Bruneau, and the Azrieli Foundation; and industry partnerships (e.g., Merck for CMV vaccine research). Approximately CAD $28M+ in 2026 grant inflows have been disclosed across multiple competitions, including $11M in CIHR project grants, $7.3M in tri-council awards covering 12 teams, $3M from FRQ, $2.3M from Brain Canada, and $2.1M from FCI. Customers in the conventional sense are pediatric patients, research trainees, and academic/clinical research partners across Canada; the center engages through community-led outreach, scientific publications in top-tier journals, conferences, and multi-site clinical trial networks.

Name

Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine

Legal name

Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine

Website

https://recherche.chusj.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Medical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (622310), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (6221), Diagnostic Imaging Centers (621512)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Hospitals & Pediatric Health Systems (HLAFAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pediatric Rehabilitation & Developmental Therapy Centers (PT/OT/SLP) (HLAFAJAL), Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine Practices (HLAFAJAF), Prenatal & Maternal-Fetal Diagnostic Imaging Centers (HLAFAKAL)

Keywords

• Pediatric medical research
• Translational research services
• Clinical research platforms
• Biomedical research infrastructure
• Pediatric clinical trials

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal (Montreal)

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Core funding from Quebec and Canadian government health research agencies including CIHR, FRQ, NSERC, SSHRC, and federal tri-council grant competitions
2. Charitable Donations and Philanthropy: Support from donors and foundations including the Fondation CHU Sainte-Justine, Fondation Charles-Bruneau, and Brain Canada for specific research initiatives
3. Industry Partnerships and Grants: Pharmaceutical partnerships such as with Merck for CMV vaccine research and Genome Quebec funding for genomics projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine operates as a hospital-based pediatric and maternal-child health research center. It provides access to specialized scientific platforms, coordinates pediatric clinical research, and delivers training programs to academic researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and trainees. Its offerings span fundamental, translational, and clinical research services in pediatric oncology, neurology, genetics, neonatology, mental health, and biobanking.

Product overview

The Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine is a pediatric research institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of scientific platforms and research services. Core offerings include the WONDER meta-platform for open neuroscience data, optical neuromonitoring for premature infant brain assessment, and the PRISME immersive reality platform for neurodevelopmental diagnostics. The center provides specialized research infrastructure including custom neuron and brain organoid models, InnoviLab rehabilitation laboratories, and the ProteoFusioNEO computational proteomics tool. Supporting services include the Microscopic Imaging Platform, Proteomics and Immunopeptidomics Platform, and the URCHOI clinical research unit managing over 100 active pediatric clinical trials. Research axes span brain and child development, fetal-maternal-neonatal pathologies, infectious diseases, metabolic-cardiovascular health, immune diseases and cancer, and musculoskeletal health with medical technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Unité de recherche en hémato-immuno-oncologie Charle-Bruneau: Research unit focused on hematology, immunology and pediatric oncology at the Centre de recherche Azrieli
• Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau
• InnoviLab

Products and services

• WONDER Meta-Platform A research platform enabling meta-analytic and computational pediatric research workflows, used by investigators across the center.
• Optical Neuromonitoring System Optical/laser-based neuromonitoring instrumentation used for pediatric brain research, associated with researcher Mathieu Dehaes.
• PRISME Platform Single-cell and spatial multi-omics platform supporting translational pediatric research.
• Custom Neurons and Brain Organoids Service Production service of iPSC-derived neurons and brain organoids for pediatric neuroscience research, associated with researcher Sonia Cellot.
• InnoviLab An innovation and data analytics lab associated with researcher Serge McGraw.
• ProteoFusioNEO Platform Proteomics platform supporting pediatric oncology research, associated with researcher Daniel Sinnett.
• Microscopic Imaging Platform Advanced fluorescence and electron microscopy platform supporting pediatric research imaging needs.
• Proteomics and Immunopeptidomics Platform Mass spectrometry-based proteomics and immunopeptidomics platform supporting pediatric infectious disease and immunology research, associated with researcher Soren Gantt.
• URCHOI Clinical Research Unit Dedicated pediatric clinical research unit coordinating investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored pediatric clinical trials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 241 premature infants enrolled in cerebral monitoring study with 90% follow-up rate to age 2
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability12 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Holland Bloorview Rehabilitation HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Led by Azadeh Kushki from Holland Bloorview, this project is co-directed with CHU Sainte-Justine researcher Clara Moreau, focusing on open science data for child neurodevelopment research.
• University of CalgarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Paul Arnold from University of Calgary serves as co-director of WONDER platform alongside CHU Sainte-Justine's Clara Moreau.
• Merck PharmaceuticalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Merck for Dr Soren Gantt's CMV vaccine research project, where Merck developed a promising vaccine strain and the team created a test to distinguish vaccine strain from circulating CMV strains.
• SickKids TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-directed by Dr Annie Huang from SickKids, the DECRYPT-BABYBRAIN clinical trial studies non-radiotherapy treatments for embryonal brain tumors in children under 3, with CHU Sainte-Justine as one of the first recruiting centers.
• BC Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Sylvia Cheng co-directs the DECRYPT-BABYBRAIN pan-Canadian clinical trial with Dr Annie Huang from SickKids, with Dr Lucie Lafay-Cousin from Alberta Children's Hospital serving as vice-lead.
• Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on InnoviLab project for pediatric rehabilitation technology innovation, combining expertise in rehabilitation science and technology development.
• École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering technology partnership for InnoviLab pediatric rehabilitation infrastructure, developing sensors, virtual environments, and data analysis tools.
• Université de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic affiliation providing research supervision, graduate training programs, and research collaboration across multiple departments including radiology, pediatrics, and rehabilitation.
• Various Canadian and American InstitutionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWONDER platform collaboration network spanning institutions across Canada and the United States for integrated neurodevelopmental research data sharing.
• SickKids Hospital TorontomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on cystic fibrosis nutrition and gastrointestinal health research, studying the effects of CFTR modulators on gut health in young children.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=EgDfb6DttAs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chu-sainte-justine-research-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine