Western researchers land nearly $2.8M in funding to boost brain health research

Neuroscience researchers at Western University were awarded nearly $2.8 million for two research projects that will advance brain research in Canada. 

"If we're going to find better treatment and improve the lives of people, we have to invest in research," said London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos, who made the funding announcement Wednesday morning at Western University's faculty of education.

"It provides hope for the individuals impacted, but also their family members and their friends who see loved ones suffering," he said. "Hope comes from research more than anything else."

At Western University, a team at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry led by Lisa Saksida, Canada Research Chair in translational cognitive neuroscience, was awarded $1.46-million for the MouseTRAP project on fast-tracking drug development for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. 

A second project led by Emma Duerden, Canada Research Chair in neuroscience and learning disorders, was awarded $1.46 to advance brain monitoring in partnership with the Lawson Health Research Institute. 

Four grants were awarded in total to three-year research projects across the country at the announcement from the Canada Brain Research Fund supported by Health Canada and Brain Canada Foundation.

'Research is the way out,' says MP

"There are thousands of Canadians dealing with dementia, dealing with mental health challenges, dealing with the effects of stroke or spinal cord injury, ALS, MA — the list goes on," said Fragiskatos. 

"It's not just to support universities and researchers, it's to support Canadians that are going through a very difficult time," he said. "Research is the way out."

Western University is now the centre for brain research in Canada and one of the leading centres in the world, said Fragiskatos. 

 "It's a hugely significant investment in brain health for Canadians. Research is absolutely essential if we're going to maintain and improve our brain health," said Saksida, who is also a professor at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.

"Neurodegenerative disease is a huge economic and societal burden, and we know that this is only going to increase as our population ages."

As the lead on the MouseTRAP project, she said the funding will advance the development of new drugs and treatments for cognitive impairments caused by neurodegenerative disease.

The goal, she said, is to understand the molecular and cellular underpinnings of brain damaged by Alzheimer's and Parkinson's through cognitive testing using mice models with touch-screen devices.

"We can test the mice on exactly the same cognitive tests as we test our patients on to evaluate their cognitive abilities and the efficacy of new drugs," she said. 

The project has been built on 25 years of research, she said. "We're at the point where we can actually really scale it up so that it can be used by not just within our lab, but by people all over the world."

New imaging technology to study oxygen levels in the brain using light is set to be developed as part of the SPRINT project, said Duerden, Lawson scientist and assistant professor of education at Western. The research will help create technology to alert who may be at risk of a stroke before it occurs. 

For patient's on life support, breathing and heart rate are monitored, but one part that's not routinely monitored is the brain, she said. High risk of stroke can occur when there's a drop in oxygen levels in the brain, she added. 

"We will can use this technology to shine it inside the brain to understand behaviour before it occurs. We can also use this technology in rehabilitation centres to examine brain repair in response to new therapies and treatments," she said. 

The funding will allow their team to start building on their current infrastructure, develop new equipment and promote brain health and brain repair for Canadians impacted by critical illness.