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Two innovations grants awarded to RI-MUHC research leaders

May 29th, 2015

The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) is pleased to announce that Dr. Morag Park and Dr. Alain Ptito, both RI-MUHC members, have been awarded major grants to advance their innovative work in the areas of cancer therapy and brain injuries respectively. These research grants were part of a national investment of $333 million for research infrastructure through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The two RI-MUHC projects, along with eight others submitted by McGill and its Hospital-affiliated Research Institutes, amount to a total of $30 million in funding, which will be matched by the Government of Quebec. The federal announcement was made today in Ottawa by the Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology).

"We are thrilled to receive this government grant and CFI's continued support for cutting-edge research facilities and for the enhancement of pioneering science projects," says Dr. Vassilios Papadopoulos, Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Research Institute of the MUHC (RI-MUHC). "Dr. Park and Dr. Ptito are both leaders in their respective fields and I am sure their teams will achieve major breakthroughs in medicine that improve lives thanks to these grants."

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is among the most common neurological conditions with an estimated annual incidence of up to 600/100,000 in Canada. CFI-funded researcher, Dr. Ptito, who is a medical scientist at the RI-MUHC and a Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University, will lead a first-of-its-kind research facility focused on measuring the effects of mTBI, such as concussions, and developing innovative treatments. This new facility, led by researchers with expertise in neurology, psychology, ophthalmology, physics and engineering, and enabled by the $2,995,246 million in funds for the requested infrastructure, will become a leading-edge research centre.

"With the support of the CFI, our team will have an Ultra High Performance MRI system that will be able to carry out more applications than any existing MRI system and will help us observe the brain's response to trauma with exceptional precision. This knowledge will allow us to develop new diagnostic tools and treatments to help thousands of Canadians who suffer head injuries every year,'' explains Dr. Alain Ptito, who is also a neuropsychologist at the Montreal Neurological Institute and the Director of the Department of Psychology at the MUHC.

"Thanks to the Innovation Fund, our donors to the MGH Foundation and the vision of the Max Pacioretty Foundation, this new specialized MRI will place the Montreal General Hospital as one of the leading level 1 trauma centres in Canada. This valuable piece of healthcare technology will also allow our world-class researchers to better understand brain injuries, which will lead to improved patient diagnosis and treatment," adds Jean-Guy Gourdeau, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Montreal General Hospital Foundation at the MUHC.

With 14 million new cases annually, cancer is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The spread of disease to different organs and the resistance to therapy are current cancer challenges. CFI-funded researcher, Dr. Park and her team, who has been awarded $2,389,840 million, will build cutting-edge technologies to address these challenges in urgent need of solutions and result in new personalized approaches to treat cancer.

"Thanks to this grant, we will use micro-fabrication and novel scaffold materials to recreate the environment of multiple cancers.'' explains says Dr. Park, who is a researcher at the Goodman Cancer Research Centre at McGill University and at the RI-MUHC. "It will help us to enhance discovery of new targets and potential drugs for the tumour ecosystem and not just the tumor."

Provided by McGill University Health Centre

Citation: Two innovations grants awarded to RI-MUHC research leaders (2015, May 29) retrieved 28 March 2024 from https://sciencex.com/wire-news/194363761/two-innovations-grants-awarded-to-ri-muhc-research-leaders.html
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