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Student Life

Four ways to make friends as a new student at McGill

by Cristina Monica Tifan on

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As a new student at McGill, trying to meet friends while learning to navigate academics and a new city can be difficult. The McGill Tribune has compiled four suggestions to help with making new connections on campus.

  1. Join a club

This comes as no surprise. McGill has over 200 clubs you can join, where you will surely meet other like-minded people and be able to socialize in a low-pressure environment. Reach out to the student groups that interest you and attend Activities Night, the bi-annual showcasing of various McGill clubs and organizations. Students can scope out and explore the different areas of student life—you might spark a budding friendship, all while learning a new skill or rekindling an old hobby. 

  1. Get a job on campus

Getting a part-time position on campus will allow you to meet students from various departments. McGill advertises many student positions on MyFuture and Workday throughout the year, including opportunities at the McGill Libraries, the Athletics Department, or with faculty members. While not all on-campus positions require an approved Work Study status, many of them do, or prefer Work Study-eligible employees. To become part of the Work Study Program, you need to apply on Minerva once a year. According to the McGill Scholarships and Student Aid website, your admittance to the program will depend on your financial need. At an on-campus job, your coworkers can relate to your experience at McGill and just might introduce you to the best places to unwind in-between classes or have a memorable meal. 

  1. Study at a nearby coffee shop

Many McGill students choose to study at the McGill Libraries. However, because these environments are intended for quiet studying, building a connection in library spaces can be challenging—especially with COVID-19 regulations in place. Two of the nearest coffee shops for McGill students include the Tim Hortons on Sherbrooke Street and the Second Cup on McGill College Avenue. Though these places can be quite hectic during rush hours, you will be sure to find other students there. Other cafes popular among students include the famous Milton B, which is open 24 hours a day and always buzzing with students, and Chai Lounge, where you will find a wide selection of bubble tea. McTavish Street and Lower Field also have lots of places to sit and can be a great alternative to indoor study spaces before the harsh Montreal winter returns. Who knows, you might sit next to someone in a classroom you once shared a smile with at a coffee shop.

  1. Take advantage of online platforms

Although online dating is becoming increasingly normalized, online friending is still catching up. One online platform that facilitates such friendships is Meetup, a website and app where you can find both online and in-person events in your community that cater to your personal interests. Though Bumble is primarily known for its dating option, Bumble BFF can be used to meet and chat with friends online––and chances are you will stumble upon another McGill student. Meeting people online can be especially meaningful if you live farther away from campus and do not always have the opportunity to attend social events nearby. 

Keep in mind that friendships take work and grow over time, so remember to follow up and stay in touch with the new people you meet. Luckily, social media smooths the process by allowing you to interact through different online communities, including Facebook groups and Discord servers. If you are the daring type, you can challenge yourself by messaging peers through Zoom during class time. 

Hopefully, these recommendations will prove themselves useful in helping you create new and meaningful connections.

Out on the Town, Student Life

‘Dans ma cour ça du chien!’: The story behind the colourful dogs of Place des Arts

by Holly Wethey on

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Walking through Place des Arts in the summer months, one is greeted by a variety of neon dog statues. These furry creatures are part of artist Mélanie Crespin’s interactive art piece “Dans ma cour ça du chien!” For me, the dogs have become an iconic part of strolling through the Quartier des Spectacles, and a frequent presence in photos with friends, family, and roommates.

In an email to The McGill Tribune, Crespin explained the backstory and inspiration behind the whimsical installation. 

“The project celebrates the arrival of the spring days, allowing citizens and tourists to reappropriate the outdoor public space in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere,” Crespin wrote.

The piece was commissioned by Quartier des Spectacles in 2018 and has been on display every summer since 2019.

“In 2018, for the first ‘Dans ma cour’ edition […], the Quartier des Spectacles partnership invited me to propose a kitsch and ephemeral art installation to celebrate the return of the spring days, a proposition inviting visitors to wander, to take time and to reappropriate Saint-Catherine Street after long winters,” Crespin explained.

However, the project did not initially begin with the iconic dogs on display now.

“[In the first edition], a dozen scenes offered to the citizens a playful and unusual experience inspired by the kitsch universe that can be found in North American backyards,” Crespin wrote. “Colourful plastic animals […], artificial flowers, synthetic grass, deckchairs and lounge chairs allowed citizens and tourists to take the time to enjoy the first rays of the sun, in an original and offbeat atmosphere.”

The installation now comprises 10 scenes featuring different species of coloured dog statues. All the sculptures are handcrafted by Décors 3D, an interior designer from Montreal, who followed Crespin’s noted designs.

“Each dog portrait has been meticulously refined, which is expressed in the sculptures,” Crespin wrote. “The dogs have their own personality, story, and colour. Each scene is a friendly invitation for interactions between humans and dogs, between citizens and the installations.”

Crespin feels that viewers should approach it with a certain lightheartedness. 

“Although this installation was thought of with seriousness, each animal has a profile, a temperament, a story, it has to be taken with humour and lightness,” Crespin wrote.

The installation invites passers-by to have a bit of fun and explore the commonalities between ourselves and our canine companions.

“A german shepherd is waiting for someone to play with, a bull terrier is meditating with visitors, a rather psychological saluki is sitting on a bench waiting for a human confidence,” Crespin explained. “Some behaviours are more natural […] than others, which are more caricatural. This installation is a kind of irony facing our human behaviours which are reflected in the canine figures.” 

Although the pandemic has limited our activities in some ways, public art installations have remained an integral part of the city experience. While the summer months were at times isolating, installations like this one brightened the streets and made walks all the more exciting. 

“For the 2020 and 2021 editions, […] ‘Dans ma cour, ç’a du chien!’ was exposed more than expected, as cultural gatherings were cancelled,” Crespin wrote. “It was [fortunate] that the installation was [displayed] in the street after the first three months of containment, and as a return to social and entertaining outings [….] [As] the first event in the Quartier des Spectacles, after three months of containment in 2020, I think it was a breath of fresh air.”

Crespin’s next projects are in the works for this fall at several locations. One includes an upcoming exhibition in the McCord Museum and another includes an art installation for the botanical gardens with artist Alexandre Burton and the National Film Board of Canada.

Chill Thrills, Student Life

Hidden gems of McGill: Favourite spots to eat, study, chill, and explore

by Holly Wethey and Wendy Zhao on

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Coming back to campus, it is clear that a lot has changed. But a lot has remained the same. The McGill Tribune reflects on some tucked-away spots—from familiar favourites to some more obscure—to visit, remember, and hopefully find our way back to. 

1. Paddle Mac

Located on McGill’s Macdonald Campus, Paddle Mac rents out kayaks and stand-up paddleboards at a discounted rate to McGill students. For $15 an hour, students can cruise down the river and enjoy a quiet escape from urban life. McGill also offers a free shuttle bus to Mac Campus from Monday to Friday, which makes this unique experience very affordable.

2. Frostbite

This ice-cream shop, run by McGill’s own engineering students, seeks to remedy student blues with varied ice-cream flavours that are affordable and—if you have received less than 30 per cent on a major midterm—free. With events like Warm Cookie Week, Waffle-bowl Week, and Rowdy Day running throughout the year, this spot in the McConnell Engineering building is a sweet relief from busy schedules. 

Be sure to look out for their charming penguin mascot, Chub Chub, too. 

3. Soupe Cafe

Although many are familiar with the grilled cheese sandwiches from this Burnside basement cafe, one of their secret specialities is their tasty sweet potato burrito. While the McGill location is currently closed, you can still visit Soupe cafe on Rue Notre Dame to satisfy your cravings.

4. Vihn’s Cafe

A perennial favourite at McGill, Vihn’s cafe serves filling yet affordable Vietnamese dishes that have become a staple for students on campus. Their $4-5 banh mi and their $7-9 pho are classic choices, while their steamed buns and array of desserts offer unique snack options. 

Its Sherbrooke location, tucked away in the Strathcona music building, offers a tight but cozy escape from McGill’s main campus where one can chat—or commiserate—with friends. A warm bowl of pho always tastes especially comforting during winter and exam seasons.  

5. Birks

With its wooden tables and tall bookshelves, the Birks reading room in the Religious Studies building is a quiet, tucked-away environment perfect for independent studying and wistful daydreaming. Inside the building, you will come across a beautiful two-story chapel that can seat 150 people.

6. Thompson House Restaurant

Run by the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS) and located next to the Education building, Thompson House is not only a venue for many events, but also its own restaurant. On the menu, you will find a variety of dishes ranging from bean burritos to South Indian curry.

7. The hidden hallways of the McConnell Engineering Building

Exploring the large McConnell Engineering Building, you will typically find students testing drones in tall glass hallways. There’s even a maze-like hallway with a dead end. Aside from the wandering Arts students, the space is allegedly used to test robots.

8. The industrial stairwell in Macdonald Engineering

If you wander for long enough through McConnell, you might just find yourself in another building entirely. McConnell Engineering connects to the Macdonald building through a huge industrial stairwell reminiscent of Victorian times.

9. Moyse Hall 

This theatre in the Arts building is frequently used to hold productions from the English department. The mysterious tower at the top of the Arts building is also rumoured to be accessible through Moyse Hall, though a key card is now required to enter.

10. The obscure corners of the Arts building and the deep depths of Leacock

If you have never had a seminar on the top floor of the Arts building, you may not know that there are a number of high tables nestled in its dark and rustic corridors. Similarly, the Leacock basement, once home to Bar des Arts, is a fun place to explore—although it is not necessarily advisable to do so at night.

Commentary, Opinion

Gratuity has reached a tipping point

by Sophia Howard on

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In the heart of Mile End sits Larry’s, a cafe-restaurant that has served breakfast, lunch, and dinner to its visitors since 2016. In May, the restaurant made a notable announcement: It would end the custom of tipping once it reopened its doors for indoor dining. While Larry’s is not the first restaurant in Montreal to implement this policy, it is the only one currently operating, as the others have closed. As restaurants adapt to a post-COVID world, Larry’s decision to get rid of gratuity is a bold step toward positive change for workers in the service industry. 

The history of tipping is long and troubling. Its origins can be traced to feudal Europe, where lords would occasionally pay particularly helpful serfs extra money at the end of the year—both as an act of gratitude and as a way to flaunt wealth. In the 1850s and 60s, Americans traveling abroad learned about this custom, and, wanting to emulate aristocracy, brought the habit of tipping back to their servants at home. Initially, the practice received severe backlash as lower-income individuals were concerned that they could not afford it. Labour rights activists called it patronizing. Nevertheless, after the end of the Civil War in 1865, an influx of recently emancipated Black workers stimulated the United States economy. Restaurants, railways, and other industries employing servers liked the idea of not having to pay their new servers. Thus, tipping quickly spread throughout the South and slowly expanded into Canada. The practice of tipping has become ingrained in Canadian society in recent decades, even finding its way into some minimum wage legislation.

Beyond tipping’s racist roots, the practice causes discrimination in the restaurant industry today. White employees make more than employees of colour, staff on busier shifts make more than those on quiet nights, waiters make more than people working in the kitchen, and so on. Women in the service industry are more likely to face sexual harassment because of the power imbalance held by male patrons. The wage disparity between Black women and white men is twofold: Black women are more likely to work in more casual and less expensive restaurants, and they are often tipped less. Tipping is but another form of inequality in the restaurant industry. However, discrimination also goes in the opposite direction: Servers in restaurants are more likely to racially profile clients on how well they will tip. For instance, servers often offer worse service to Black patrons, as some waiters assume that they will tip less. 

As the service industry offers many entry-level positions, it is common for university students to work part-time at restaurants, like Larry’s, or at bars to help pay for school. Larry’s plans to have a starting salary of $18 per hour for their employees—a wage much higher than Quebec’s current $13.50 minimum wage and $11.40 service wage. Having a higher baseline wage means employees need to put in less hours to make the same amount of money, allowing for more of a work-life balance. This is especially important for university students, who balance many responsibilities at once. Paying employees a fair wage instead of forcing them to rely on tips treats the employees with respect, granting employees more autonomy and financial security. 

While the pandemic forced many restaurants to close, employees who were fortunate enough to continue working often faced reduced hours and risked contracting COVID-19 at work. Despite these working conditions, restaurant workers were not considered essential during Quebec’s vaccine roll-out, and as a result, many people are leaving the industry. Higher pay and equal treatment would incentivize workers to remain in the field. Larry’s might be the only restaurant in Montreal taking steps to offer a better salary and working environment for its employees, but hopefully it will not be the last. 

Editorial, Opinion

Reopen properly or close prematurely

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Thousands of students returned to the classroom on Sept. 1, 2021. For the first time in almost two years, lecture halls were packed, podiums were filled, and at last, friends from all over the world were reunited. But as welcome as these nostalgic campus scenes are, McGill’s current safety guidelines are terribly inadequate. From failing to provide remote course options for people who cannot be, or do not wish to be, on campus, to embarrassing itself with an underprepared vaccine registration program, administrative shortcomings are generating learning inequities and steering the university on a path toward further outbreaks. McGill must push for government vaccine requirements, institute hybrid learning, and correct other accessibility issues before its reopening becomes its next unbearable shuttering.

Although Quebec law may prevent universities from instating a vaccine requirement the way many universities in Ontario and the United States have, the administration can still take a definitive stance on it. Many of McGill’s own experts have argued that a vaccine mandate would not only be legally permissible but also ethically and medically expedient. Moreover, with the rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant—which numerous researchers believe can infect and spread through vaccinated individuals as easily as those who are not—many are reluctant to return to campus due to legitimate safety concerns. Administrators are doing McGill’s scholars a profound disservice: By disregarding their professional opinions, the university is effectively reducing professors’ relationship with the university to one that is merely transactional, rather than one that is built on respect and academic accomplishment.

It would be unreasonable to demand that McGill violate Quebec law, even though some lawyers do not think implementing a vaccine mandate would do so. But there is nothing stopping McGill from issuing a statement standing with its scholars, advocating for emergency legislation, and committing to leadership in accessibility moving forward. Importantly, the institution does not need to wait for the government to do everything. It should offer a hybrid model for instruction with remote options for students who either cannot enter Canada or who do not feel comfortable being in person. At the very least, it would be prudent to persuade instructors to record their lectures, as well as to prohibit mandatory attendance rules—which some professors have applied despite the precarious public health situation. Recordings would also serve students experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms by relieving the pressure to attend class when they are feeling unwell.

International students have also been ignored in McGill’s calculus. To be able to apply for Canadian residency, foreigners need to spend a certain number of years in the country. Even if they are enrolled in a Canadian educational institution, they must be physically present, and time spent at university sometimes only counts for half of the required time. By allowing an unsafe environment to fester, administrators are forcing international students to choose between their health and their immigration eligibility. Such a situation is morally wrong and professionally unethical, not least considering that students—international students more than anyone—keep McGill alive with their tuition dollars.

Still, students are responsible for following public health measures, adhering to McGill’s mask-wearing requirements, and getting vaccinated despite it not being mandatory for essential activities. Although it is right to criticize McGill for inequitable policies that force people to be on campus while it remains an unsafe, infeasible, and inaccessible space for many, student organizations must lead by example and enforce stringent safety protocols at their events. 

The rejuvenation of friendships, the revival of frosh, and the resumption of in-person instruction are all long-awaited experiences to be grateful for. But the pandemic is not over yet. For the sake of the social stability that Quebec has fought hard to achieve and maintain, it is imperative that everyone continue to take infection prevention seriously and encourage others to do the same. Together, the McGill community must create a culture of collective accountability to seal the holes in McGill’s rickety policy framework.

News

New Vic Project town hall reveals renovation plans

by Lily Cason on

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Leaders of McGill’s New Vic Project held a town hall on Aug. 31 to review proposed renovations to the Royal Victoria Hospital site and to answer questions from students and faculty. Among those present were the executive sponsors of the project, provost Christopher Manfredi and vice-principal (Administration and Finance) Yves Beauchamp. Bruce Lennox, dean of the Faculty of Science and academic lead of the New Vic project, and Pierre Major, executive director and project lead, co-presented on the history and vision of the project, both architectural and conceptual. 

Manfredi provided opening remarks, explaining the overarching concept for the Royal Victoria Hospital site, emphasizing a focus on interdisciplinary dialogue and themes of sustainability and public policy.

“What we wanted to do was to bring together […] a critical mass of the university’s best minds, both researchers and students, that were dedicated to addressing the defining challenges of our future,” Manfredi said. “We wanted to free them from disciplinary and even physical boundaries, and directly connect them to the expertise required to translate their knowledge into innovative solutions and policy action.”

The proposed 700-million-dollar construction took six years to plan. Now that the state-of-the-art facility is mapped out, in line with strict guidelines from the Société québécoise des infrastructure (SQI), the project is working its way through the approval process. It gained approval from the Quebec Government’s Cabinet in May 2021 and from Montreal’s City Council in June 2021, but now it must undergo public consultation, starting Sept. 8.

The implementation of the project’s plans has been an extensive process, in part because the Royal Victoria Hospital site, which rests on the side of Mount Royal, was publicly owned until 2015 when the Quebec government ceded 15 per cent of it to McGill. Critics of the project, including prominent Montreal organizations like Les amis de la montagne, argue that private ownership of the public landmark is not in the best interest of the community. 

Lennox claimed that the New Vic Project’s vision maintains the integrity of the historic site and respects its importance to the public at large while simultaneously enhancing its functionality. 

“The buildings, as [reenvisioned], especially with the new build, really are complementary [and] are in harmony with the mountain,” Lennox said. “In many ways the project is returning the mountain to Montreal and to Montrealers [….] The architects […] and the entire project team have worked very hard, very thoughtfully, at how to restore this relationship to the mountain. This is critical for the acceptance of the project with the Montreal community.”

Major also highlighted the project’s goal of maintaining the integrity of the site during his segment of the presentation.

“The heritage aspect of the site is something that requires a great deal of thought and work,” Major said. “The heritage building represents about 30 per cent of the […] future built space and […] 70 per cent is new construction that has been nicely tucked away behind the heritage building, very respectfully.”

Further criticism of the project stems from uncertainty over what will happen to the unhoused people who were temporarily given shelter in the Royal Victoria Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Major addressed this briefly, stating that the SQI, not McGill, is responsible for determining the relocation of these individuals.

“[SQI] is developing a site master plan [where they will] set the parameters for future development [and use of the site],” Major said. “If you look in the urban plan of the city of Montreal there [are] no bylaws that define or orient any future development.” 

The Office de consultation publique de Montréal’s (OCPM) public consultation is set to begin on Sept. 8 and will last until November. The Royal Vic Coalition, which describes itself as a “Montreal-wide coalition that advocates for the Royal Victoria former hospital to remain devoted to the common good,” is circulating a questionnaire which encourages individuals to speak up against privatization during the consultation. 

The leaders of the project expect a report from the OCPM by Spring 2022, and the next step is to begin work on the site itself.

“[W]e are on the verge of undertaking the statutory public consultation process [with the OCPM],” Major said. “If all goes well, and it will, we will start work on the site in 2022 and we will move in in 2028.”

News

McGill researchers spearhead Canadian Election Misinformation Project

by Signy Harnad on

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The Media Ecosystem Observatory (MEO), an interdisciplinary research collaboration between McGill University and the University of Toronto, announced the launch of the Canadian Election Misinformation Project on Aug. 18.

The initiative is headed by Taylor Owen, the Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics, and Communications and associate professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, Peter Loewen, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, Aengus Bridgman, a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at McGill, and aims to chart and respond to cases of mis- and disinformation during Canada’s 44th federal election

The goal of the project, according to Chris Ross, a master’s student in the Department of Political Science at McGill and MEO researcher, is to improve understanding of the implications of false and faulty information about Canadian elections.

“There is a particular attention to the online space and how people talk in social media form,” Ross said. “It is all about getting an understanding of what, from that ocean of information, filters its way down into traditional media and what misinformation is present online […] so we have better tools to work to prevent it.”

The project analyzes an array of online discourses, ranging from foreign interference and climate issues to pandemic-related news and provincial vaccine mandates. Ross noted that the pandemic and the election have provided a timely backdrop for the MEO to expand its research efforts.

“The MEO has been writing since the 2019 federal election and, throughout the pandemic, [has] geared a lot of research towards pandemic misinformation online,” Ross said. “Now that we have another election, it is another opportunity to look for misinformation and understand what type of misinformation gets the most clicks.”

According to a viral BuzzFeed News analysis, in the final three months of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, the most popular fake news stories on Facebook outperformed the top election stories from 19 major news outlets. In an email to //The McGill Tribune//, professor in the Department of Art History and Communication Studies Carrie Rentschler pointed out that the surge of misinformation in recent elections can be attributed to the speed at which automated systems replicate it.

“There are whole industries organized to produce disinformation, [which] hide the evidence of their work and the people who do it,” Rentschler wrote.

Rentschler advocated for robust research dedicated to analyzing how consumers of news respond to false and misleading information.

“We need research that helps us understand the realities of contemporary information environments,” Rentschler wrote. “Debunking the falsehood of misinformation is not enough. We need to understand why people believe it, but also why they want to believe it.”   

Popular YouTuber David Freiheit, BA ‘02, a litigator representing the People’s Party for the  Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount riding in the 2021 federal election, reflected on what he considers a double standard in the media’s use of the term “misinformation.”

“The label itself typically is one that the government or the mainstream media wants you to use to discredit alternative sources,” said Freiheit, whose VivaFrei YouTube channel reaches in excess of 300,000 subscribers. “Misinformation has always been around, like the National Enquirer, and viral stories that spread misinformation. But then you also get the viral stories in the mainstream media which turn out to be false, they just do not call it misinformation, they call it retractions.”

With the challenging demands of a full-time university schedule, staying on top of every development in the election news cycle borders on overwhelming for many students, explains Paulina Kasak, U3 Arts.

“Students are bombarded with a constant stream of conflicting information and flashy headlines, whether on social media or on campus,” Kasak said. “It makes you feel jaded at times, especially when you do not know who to trust.”

The MEO will be sending out updates via email as the project unfolds. To join the mailing list, visit their registration page.

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

McGill researchers set the stage for new triple-negative breast cancer therapy

by Cyril Kazan on

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A cancer diagnosis can radically change the course of a person’s life. Nearly one in two Canadians is expected to develop cancer over their lifetime, and one in four is expected to die from it. Fortunately, physicians have an increasingly effective array of treatments available to counter this devastating disease. 

Three types of receptors are commonly found on the surface of breast cancer tumour cells: Estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 protein receptors. These receptors fuel the growth of cancer cells. Existing therapies can block any of these receptors and successfully stop the growth of the tumour. However, none of these receptors are present in one specific subtype of breast cancer called triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). It is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer and it accounts for about 15 per cent of all cases.

The problem with TNBC is that cancer cell growth is not due to any of the three receptors, so current targeted therapies that block the typical receptors are not effective. The way these tumour cells grow is not yet well understood. 

Recently, a team of researchers led by Dr. Jean-Jacques Lebrun, a senior scientist in the Cancer Research Program at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and a professor of medicine at McGill University, discovered novel mechanisms through which TNBC tumour cells grow. The team used a state-of-the-art gene-editing technology called CRISPR to screen the entire human genome and successfully identified two key pathways that allow TNBC tumours to grow and propagate. 

“There are absolutely no targeted therapies for this type of cancer,” Lebrun said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “Patients will undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy, both of which are largely inefficient.”  

The two pathways they identified include an oncogenic pathway named mTOR and a tumour suppressor pathway named Hippo. Both pathways play a role in the regulation of cell growth and programmed cell death, called apoptosis. In TNBC cells, the pathways become abnormally activated, leading to uncontrolled cell growth and tumourigenesis.

The identification of these two growth mechanisms was a major step forward in the search for a TNBC treatment. 

Lebrun and his team subsequently investigated possible ways to interfere with these growth pathways in a recent study published in Nature Communications. They found two potential drugs that would accomplish the necessary interference: Torin1, a drug known to block the mTOR pathway, and verteporfin, a drug normally used for retina eye diseases that can mimic the Hippo pathway.

According to Dr. Meiou Dai, a research associate in the Lebrun Lab at the RI-MUHC and first author of the study, preliminary research has shown some very encouraging results. 

“Torin1 led to growth inhibition on the cell models, and verteporfin was able to induce apoptosis in cancer cells,” Dai said in an interview with the Tribune.

Their results show that these two drugs are effective at countering the growth of TNBC cancer cells. They also demonstrated that both drugs act synergistically and have an even better outcome when used as a combination therapy. 

Lebrun and his team also tested the drugs for other breast cancer subtypes and found that they were all being affected by their combination therapy.

Although this study has paved the way to an effective targeted therapy for TNBC, there is still work to be done before it can become approved. Trials must be conducted on patients to examine the effectiveness of the combination therapy in humans. However, the fact that these are already known drugs is an important advantage. 

“One [verteporfin] is already approved for an eye disease while the second [Torin1] is currently being tested in clinical trials,” Dai said. “This is very important because it should really shorten the time it will take for the proposed combination therapy to be approved and start benefiting patients.”

News

Several McGill professors vocalize demands for vaccine mandate on campus

by Ella Fitzhugh on

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With the return to in-person classes for the Fall 2021 term, some students have expressed concerns about the McGill administration’s current COVID-19 safety measures, while several faculty members have voiced frustrations about McGill’s proposals for in-person teaching during the Fall. Central to the unease about the administration’s plans for the semester is the ongoing debate about whether the university should implement a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.  

In a media roundtable interview with The McGill Tribune, Christopher Buddle, associate provost (Teaching and Academic Programs), and Fabrice Labeau, deputy provost (Student Life and Learning), spoke of their confidence in the safety measures the university has set in place for the Fall term. 

“I do not want to diminish how people are feeling, because a lot of people are feeling anxious and scared,” Buddle said. “We certainly have heard that from our community. But, we believe and are confident in what we are doing in terms of layers of protection in the classroom environment, so students can feel good about coming in and taking their in-person classes.” 

According to Dr. Nicole Basta, an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health at McGill, the health guidelines that McGill has in place are insufficient. Basta, along with other McGill professors, is rallying for a stricter approach to preventing the spread of the virus at McGill. 

“Implementing a vaccine mandate is the single most effective policy McGill could implement to protect the entire university community during this fourth wave, which is already underway,” Basta wrote in an email to The McGill Tribune. “Not implementing a vaccine mandate is contrary to all of the scientific evidence we have about how to most effectively increase vaccination rates and how best to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. At the very least, McGill could require routine testing multiple times a week for those who qualify for an exemption from being vaccinated.” 

The administration’s stance against enacting a university-wide COVID-19 vaccine mandate relies on the Quebec government law which states that individuals have the right to refuse consent to medical procedures, with the university’s statement defining vaccinations as such. Labeau explained that while the university can act independently in certain cases, the administration must adhere to provincial legality. 

“We as the university have some autonomy as usual in fulfilling our mission,” Labeau said. “We are bound by a legal framework and so there [are] things that we simply cannot do because of a legal framework. We are definitely trying to stay in line with public health recommendations and making the adaptations that make sense in our context.”

Richard Gold, a professor in the Faculty of Law at McGill, asserts that McGill can, and should, exercise autonomy in implementing a vaccine mandate, given the increasing prevalence of COVID-19’s more contagious Delta variant in Quebec. Gold also argued that the absence of a university-sanctioned vaccination mandate is discriminatory toward faculty and students who are more vulnerable to COVID-19. 

“An analysis [by] 37 professors and teachers from the Faculty of Law concluded that McGill has the full authority to bring in a proof of vaccination requirement and would not violate any constitutional or human rights requirements,” Gold wrote in an email to the Tribune. 

Gold listed the main reasons why some professors are demanding the implementation of a vaccine mandate at McGill.  

“There are three reasons a proof of vaccination requirement is necessary: [One], given the Delta variant, public health in Quebec has made it clear that we need the population vaccinated at the 90 per cent level; [two], it sends a message to the community that McGill believes in science and medicine and follows the recommendations of its own experts; [three], it provides a concrete reason to the hesitant to be vaccinated now, prior to infection.”

Research Briefs, Science & Technology

New aortic prosthesis reduces heart surgery operation time

by Henry Fletcher on

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On May 31, a research team at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) became the first in Canada to implant a new cutting-edge biological prosthesis into a patient’s heart. The main purpose of the device is to substitute a faulty aortic valve—a valve that regulates blood flow between the heart’s main pumping chamber (left ventricle) and the main artery (aorta). After a defective aortic valve has been removed from the heart, the prosthesis acts as its replacement. 

The novelty of this device is that the replacement tube and valve come pre-assembled, reducing the time patients spend on the operating table and minimizing the risk of technical errors by surgeons. However, according to Renzo Cecere, the director of cardiac surgery at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), the new valve generally shares the same design as older models.

“The advantage now is that we have this conduit that comes pre-packaged and pre-built with a biological valve contained within the conduit,” Cecere said in an interview with The McGill Tribune. “But conceptually, there is nothing new or brilliant about this, it just has not been available on the market.” 

Still, the new device is likely to help many patients suffering from aortic valve disease: In 2017, faulty aortic valves accounted for over two-thirds of all valvular heart disease deaths in the United States. 

Valvular heart disease occurs when the aortic valve does not open or close properly. The valve consists of three flaps that open and close together with each heartbeat and acts as a “gatekeeper” by controlling how much blood flows from the heart to the rest of the body. If the valve is diseased, it becomes either too narrow and stiff to fully open (stenosis) or too wide to close completely (regurgitation), causing some blood to flow backwards. Sometimes, valves can also be malformed due to a birth defect called congenital heart disease.  

Given the prevalence of diseased aortic valves, replacing them is a common operation known as the Bentall Procedure. The process involves removing the aortic valve and root and then implanting an artificial tube with a mechanical or biological (tissue) valve inside of it.

Until recently, surgeons have had to sew the valve into the tube before inserting it into the patient’s heart. This step of the procedure is complex, time-consuming, and carries the risk of surgeons making technical errors when stitching the tube and valve together. This new prosthesis, however, eliminates this step with it being pre-assembled and therefore ready to use.

Fortunately, this device will soon be offered to patients in the MUHC: Cecere has already submitted a formal request to acquire it. However, only a select number of patients could qualify as good candidates for this device—even though the MUHC performs about a thousand heart surgeries a year.

“There are a lot of things we do that are quite niche and not high-volume activities,” Cecere said. “But nevertheless, the patients need to be served. It is our obligation to make sure we have the right tools on the shelf.”

For Cecere, this device is further evidence of the remarkable progress that medical technology has made since he became a cardiac surgeon.

“Whether it is in coronary disease, valvular disease, heart failure, or artificial heart technology, all of them have made a tremendous evolution in the last 15 to 20 years,” Cecere said.  Indeed, the first aortic valve replacement was performed in 1962 and now, nearly 60 years later, there is a pre-assembled prosthesis that can be implanted into a patient’s heart in 2.5 hours.

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