DMCBH associate members Drs. Brian Christie and Jodie Gawlyruk are among the research teams who have received funding from CQDM and Brain Canada to address unmet medical needs in the treatment of brain disorders. Three collaborative research projects will receive a total of $7.4 million from the government of Quebec via CQDM and the Brain Canada Foundation via the Canadian Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada Foundation.
“This funding is the latest effort in a long-standing partnership with Brain Canada, 10 years of co-funding to accelerate research and improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders. By joining forces, this collaborative initiative will accelerate the development of tools, therapies and treatments for common neurological disorders, bringing tangible benefits to Quebec and Canadian patients while generating economic spin-offs for the companies involved,” says Diane Gosselin, President and CEO of CQDM.
Drs. Christie and Gawlyruk are co-investigators on a project led by Dr. Jocelyn Faubert from the Université de Montréal in collaboration with Neurotracker Athletics Inc. titled “Developing an evidence-based approach to diagnose and treat adults with a history of concussion.”
Emerging evidence suggests that concussions may cause chronic neurological disturbances with effects lasting beyond 20 years, changing brain structure and nearly doubling the risks of developing dementia into old age. Yet diagnoses remain notoriously difficult, gender differences are poorly understood, and negligible therapies exist to manage and treat these long-term effects.
This project proposes using a combination of NeuroTracker (a promising software-based cognitive assessment and intervention for mild traumatic brain injuries), with the latest MRI techniques and blood-based biomarkers of brain function, to provide unprecedented assessment sensitivity of long-term concussion effects, comparing older male and female adults, with and without a history of concussion. Additionally, NeuroTracker will be used as a therapeutic intervention to improve outcomes in adults with histories of concussion, with the combined assessments measuring efficacy pre-post training. The project aims to comprehensively understand the impacts of mild brain traumas into later life, via both physical and functional biomarkers of brain health. It will also validate the value of NeuroTracker as an accessible training intervention for recovering cognitive functions impacted by earlier-life concussions.
Awarded through the CQDM-Brain Canada Joint Call for Collaborative Research Projects on the Brain program, the total grant of close to $2.1 million is made possible by $559,312 in funding from the government of Quebec via CQDM alongside $771,500 in funding from Brain Canada and a commitment of $860,816 from Neurotracker Athletics Inc.
“We take pride in supporting high-risk high-reward projects. Our longstanding collaboration with CQDM reflects our joint commitment to drive tangible progress in understanding and addressing complex neurological challenges. Together, we strive to improve the quality of life for people living with brain conditions in Canada and around the world,” says Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada.
