Congratulations to Dr. Gilbert et al, and Dr. Silva et al on their 2025 RQR grant

1. Dr. Isabelle Gilbert (PI, ULaval) and her co-applicants: Dr. Geraldine Delbes (INRS), and Dr. Guylain Boissonneault (UdeS) obtained a grant of  $20 000 from RQR  for the new collaborations competition. Their project is titled “Instabilité du breakome spermatique et âge paternel: Du transfert d’expertise à la compréhension des mécanismes et des conséquences sur la fertilité”. The main objective is to characterize, for the first time, the effect of male age on the distribution and abundance of double-strand break hotspots in the sperm genome, and to identify the most vulnerable gene regions.

2. Dr. Mauro Silva (PI, ULaval) and his co-applicants: Dr. Isabelle Plante (INRS), and Dr. Etienne Audet-Walsh (ULaval) obtained a grant of  $20 000 from RQR  for the new collaborations competition. Their project is titled “A Brain-Centered Human Organoid Model to Investigate the Neuroendocrine Origins of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome”. The two objectives are: i) To develop an in vitro model of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) using ARCOs and investigate the effects of androgen exposure during specific prenatal periods on female neurodevelopmental, and ii) To determine whether 1,2-Dibromo-4-(1,2-dibromoethyl)cyclohexane exposure during early female brain development promotes PCOS-like neuroendocrine features.

Congratulations!