Researchers from Morocco and Canada will work together to develop new ways to diagnose and treat cancer and brain disorders, including through gene therapy. A new research partnership between a Moroccan university and a Canadian institution aims to bring laboratory science closer to patients, with a focus on cancer and brain diseases.
Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and Canada’s Université Laval have signed two agreements to expand their scientific cooperation and set up an international research laboratory in Benguerir.
The agreements were signed on Tuesday, 27 October, at UM6P’s campus during an official visit by Université Laval Rector Sophie D’Amours.
The new International Associated Laboratory (LIA) will bring together specialists in physics, optics, electrical activity in the brain and medical biology. Their work will focus on developing tools to diagnose and treat neurological disorders and cancer. Researchers will also study gene therapy and the changes that take place inside cells as diseases develop.
Teams from UM6P’s College of Physics and Engineering and its Faculty of Medical Sciences will work with researchers from Université Laval’s Centre for Optics, Photonics and Lasers and the CERVO Brain Research Centre.
The two universities said the partnership would help turn scientific discoveries into treatments that respond to patients’ needs.
“By fostering closer ties between fundamental research, technological innovation, and clinical applications, the LIA aims to develop new therapeutic approaches tailored to patient needs, particularly in neuroscience and oncology,” they said in a joint statement.
A second agreement sets out a wider framework for cooperation in science, engineering, agriculture, healthcare, education and the humanities. It will support student and staff exchanges, joint training programmes and research projects funded by both institutions.
The partnership builds on a relationship that began in 2018. It will operate under the Canada-Africa Scientific Corridor, an initiative led by UM6P Global Hubs Canada to connect research teams and institutions across the two continents.
The new laboratory also comes as UM6P expands its presence in healthcare. In May 2026, the university launched its Smart Health Care City in Benguerir, a 70,000-square-metre complex bringing together medical services, research and education.
Its teaching hospital has 400 beds, divided between general healthcare, rehabilitation and care for older people. The facility had treated more than 10,000 patients by the middle of 2026.
Université Laval brings significant neuroscience research capacity to the partnership. Its CERVO Brain Research Centre has more than 60 principal investigators and employs between 400 and 550 researchers, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.
UM6P, meanwhile, has more than 8,750 students, including over 1,300 PhD candidates. Its Faculty of Medical Sciences admits 100 students each year to its English-language medical doctorate programme.
