Quebec biotech investment boosts McGill researchers
Charest rewards valuable work in genomics, from autism to Parkinson's to drug addiction
On Sunday, April 9, during the Bio 2006 conference in Chicago, Quebec Premier Jean Charest announced a major investment in genomic research. Among the seven projects that will share the $50.4 million in funding, three are led by McGill University.
The funding will provide crucial support to important projects headed by Pierre Drapeau, Thomas J. Hudson and Ken Dewar. Drapeau and his team will receive $16.9 million for work on identifying and characterizing the genes involved in schizophrenia and autism. Hudson and his team are continuing the work begun by the Gene Regulators in Disease (GRID) project, aimed at understanding genes that regulate resistance or susceptibility to disease, with financial support of $10.4 million.
Dewar and his group will receive $3.5 million to further research in neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration, as well as diseases such as Parkinson's and drug addiction.
