The first round of the McGill-Western Collaboration Grant awards was announced today, showcasing the unique research partnership between Western University’s BrainsCAN and McGill University’s Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives (HBHL) initiative. In the inaugural round, seven research teams, each co-led by a Western and McGill faculty member, have been awarded funding for their transformational research projects that aim to radically transform our understanding of the brain.
Brain cancer begins in stem cells, targeting them may prevent tumour growth
Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) have found an exciting new way of treating brain cancer.
Late stage brain cancer cells are heterogeneous — they differ down to the molecular level. This makes developing treatments at this stage difficult, because a drug that may be effective against one cell may not be effective against another.
Carriers at higher risk of developing neurodegenerative disease
A team of Canadian scientists, including researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) has discovered the first French-Canadian founder mutation gene linked to synucleinopathies, a group of neurodegenerative diseases that includes Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy-Bodies (DLB) and multiple system atrophy (MSA).
Plasticity is enhanced but dysregulated in the aging brain
They say you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, but new research shows you can teach an old rat new sounds, even if the lesson doesn’t stick very long.
When it comes to weight gain, the problem may be mostly in our heads, and our genes
Clinicians should consider how the way we think can make us vulnerable to obesity, and how obesity is genetically intertwined with brain structure and mental performance, according to new research.
Technique can be used to better categorize patients with neurological disease, according to their therapeutic needs
Personalized medicine – delivering therapies specially tailored to a patient’s unique physiology – has been a goal of researchers and doctors for a long time. New research provides a way of delivering personalized treatments to patients with neurological disease.
Partners agree to share resources, establish steering committee for closer collaboration
On April 20, 2018, Canadian, Chinese and Cuban neuroscience institutes strengthened an existing partnership with the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Chengdu, China.
Partners in the agreement include The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) of McGill University, The Cuban Neuroscience Center, The University of Electronic Sciences and Technology of China, The West China Hospital, and The Tianfu New Area of Chengdu (TFNA).
The institute that developed the “Montreal Procedure” continues to be on the cutting edge
The Neuro is recognized worldwide as a leader in epilepsy research and treatment. From the beginning, Neuro founder, Dr. Wilder Penfield, made epilepsy a central focus. He and his colleagues developed a surgical treatment for epilepsy patients known as the “Montreal Procedure,” which today is in use throughout the world. The Neuro became a pioneer in studying epilepsy through the use of electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
2017 Québec Science Discovery of the Year Award goes to the cancer-detection probe developed by Kevin Petrecca and Frédéric Leblond
Québec Science magazine’s 25-year tradition continues: every fall, a jury comprised of researchers and journalists selects the top 10 most impressive discoveries in Quebec in the past year and the public is asked to vote to select the winner. This year, a cancer-detection probe was chosen by nearly a third of approximately 4,400 votes cast in the 2017 Discovery of the Year contest.
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Dr. Huy Bui, who has been named a 2017 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar!
Collaboration between departmental members Drs. D. Reinhardt and P. Campeau has received new 5-year funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for the grant entitled “Role of fibronectin mutations in spondylometaphyseal dysplasia and idiopathic scoliosis” in the amount of $680,850. Congratulations!
Industry and academia to share expertise in effort to develop improved methods to produce and characterize antibodies and reagents for neurological research
Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform will make disseminating and publishing data easier
Modern neuroscience research can produce massive amounts of data, which researchers can use to find patterns revealing anything from the first physiological signs of Alzheimer’s disease to a new drug target that could stop neurodegeneration. However, this data must be stored, processed, and distributed effectively.
Volume in brain region linked to physiological changes characteristic of AD
New research has drawn a link between changes in the brain’s anatomy and biomarkers that are known to appear at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), findings that could one day provide a sensitive but non-invasive test for AD before cognitive symptoms appear.
Industry and academia team up for the benefit of people suffering from ALS
A unique industry-academia partnership will increase the rate at which promising drug compounds can be tested as potential treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease with no known cure that affects 200,000 people worldwide.
The partnership between The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (MNI) and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) will allow compounds developed by Takeda scientists to be tested on cell lines produced at the MNI.