New technique could be used to choose best therapies for patients and measure their effectiveness
Evaluating the effectiveness of therapies for neurodegenerative diseases is often difficult because each patient’s progression is different. A new study shows artificial intelligence (AI) analysis of blood samples can predict and explain disease progression, which could one day help doctors choose more appropriate and effective treatments for patients.
Kudos to the Prager-Khoutorsky lab for publishing their first paper, Effects of Salt Loading on the Organization of Microtubules in Rat Magnocellular Vasopressin Neurons, in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology. Special congratulations to Amirah-Iman Hicks, graduate student, and Zsuzsanna Barad, post-doctoral fellow, the co-first authors of the paper. Well done!
To view the paper, click here.
Congratulations to Daniel Almeida for being named in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Science list, and for being the only listmaker from a Canadian university! As a PhD student at the Douglas Research Centre, Almeida studies the molecular impact of childhood maltreatment on the brain in the lab of HBHL-funded prof. Gustavo Turecki.
With a total funding envelope of $1.65 million, the new HBHL International Partnerships Program supports large-scale, multi-year projects that build and advance partnerships with leading institutions that will help McGill University to:
- Compete with the best in the world for talent, for partnership opportunities, and to make breakthrough discoveries
- Seize emerging opportunities and strategically advance its greatest strengths on the global stage
- Implement large-scale, transformational and forward-thinking institutional strategies
HBHL-funded researcher Dr. Kieran O'Donnell recently appeared on CTV News Montreal to discuss the HBHL-funded Montreal Antenatal Well-Being Study. Watch the full interview here, where Dr. O'Donnell discusses the project's goals, initial findings, and more.
Food can trigger overconsumption similar to alcohol and drugs, but it is not the whole story
A large analysis of personality studies has found that people with obesity behave somewhat like people with addictions to alcohol or drugs. But obesity is also a complex condition that cannot be fully explained by the addiction model.
Congratulations to Prof. Kristy Ironside, who was recently been awarded a SSHRC Insight Development Grant and a grant of the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Societé et culture. The grants will help Prof. Ironside to start her new research project International Copyright Law in the Political Economy of Russia and the Soviet Union.
The Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge has awarded 18 Research Awards ranging from $3,000 to $75,000 to research teams from Canada and abroad. The Digital Ecosystem Research Challenge is a collaborative effort between Dr. Taylor Owen, Associate Professor in the Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University and Dr. Elizabeth Dubois, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and a Centre for Law, Technology and Society Faculty Member at the University of Ottawa.
Paul Lefebvre, Member of Parliament for Sudbury, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, today announced an investment of over $1.5 million for a project led by McGill’s Professor Hani Mitri, Director of Mining Engineering at McGill University, and founder of McGill Mine Design & Numerical Modelling Laboratory. Professor Mitri’s research project will validate and test a new method for rock breakage, improving mining and tunneling practices, while reducing blast-induced fumes from traditional explosives.
AI and virtual reality can determine neurosurgeon expertise with 90% accuracy
Machine learning-guided virtual reality simulators can help neurosurgeons develop the skills they need before they step in the operating room, according to a new study.
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) has poured research funding into two new research projects based out of the McGill library. In the Partnership Development Category, The Gwillim Project, led by Dr. Victoria Dickenson and based out of the Blacker Wood Collection will be forging new networks over the next three years. The Gwillim Project centres around the life and world of two sisters in early 19th century Madras (now Chennai), Elizabeth Gwillim and Mary Symonds.
Variants found in this population may predispose to brain aneurysm
A new study has found that an Inuit population in Canada’s Arctic are genetically distinct from any known group, and certain genetic variants are correlated with brain aneurysm.
The federal government has announced 26 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at McGill, including seven supported by Healthy Brains Healthy Lives (HBHL).
The appointments, announced by Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan on June 14, support researchers whose work represents a cross-section of biological, psychological and social issues related to neuroscience and mental health.
Cortical stimulation-induced seizures have the potential to guide epilepsy surgery, significantly reducing hospital stays
Surgery is the only way to stop seizures in 30 per cent of patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy. A new study finds that inducing seizures before surgery may be a convenient and cost-effective way to determine the brain region where seizures are coming from.
The Organization for Human Brain Mapping, the largest international scientific society for neuroimaging-based brain research, has honoured Prof. Alan C. Evans with its Glass Brain Award
The award, presented to Evans at the 2019 OHBM congress in Rome, recognizes lifetime achievement in the use of brain mapping to make significant discoveries about the human brain.
