Discovery could provide clues to potential therapies

Rearing its head in infancy, Christianson Syndrome is a rare disorder whose symptoms include intellectual disability, seizures and difficulty standing or walking. Although it is becoming increasingly diagnosed, with little being known about the neural mechanism behind the disease, therapeutic options for patients remain limited.

The Québec Cancer Consortium for Novel Therapeutics and Biomarkers (QCC), a collaboration between six leading hospital and cancer research centre sites based in Montreal led by McGill University’s Goodman Cancer Research Centre (GCRC) was awarded $10M in new funding from the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation (MEI) du Québec through its Fonds d’accélération des collaborations en santé (FACS) program.

Background: The Macdonald-Stewart Library Building that houses the Schulich Library of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering will undergo significant structural repairs and major internal upgrades over the next two years, beginning May 15, 2019. As a result, Schulich Library is now closed temporarily. Collections, services and staff will be relocated to the Humanities and Social Sciences Library for the duration of the renovation.

Study could lead to development of personalized biomarkers and treatment

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often lumped into a single catch-all group, despite significant differences in symptom profile and severity. Further muddying the waters when trying to understand and treat ASD, many previous studies show significant variability in findings.

New study of brain neurotransmitter receptor has implications for drug discovery

Surprisingly complex movements in an important neurotransmitter receptor may help explain the brain’s unpredictable response to drugs, according to a new study. New research from an international team, published this week in the journal Neuron, has revealed that the resting state of signaling proteins are much more dynamic than previously thought.

Growing up in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb, Dr. Ante L. Padjen, Associate Professor (post- retirement) at McGill University, found inspiration in the orchestra of the Croatian Institute of Music (CIM). Founded in 1827, the CIM has mostly been an ensemble comprised of physicians, lawyers, engineers and students, conducted by a professor from the Zagreb Music Academy. Following an opportunity to play briefly with CIM himself, Dr. Padjen’s career path, and his passion for music, landed him at McGill some 42 years ago as professor of pharmacology and therapeutics.

Study sheds light on longstanding debate

Researchers have known for decades that inflammation accompanies Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain lesions. Several early studies suggested that “super-aspirins” or Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) could help avoid the disease. However, after clinical trials showed that NSAIDs don’t help patients who already have AD symptoms, doctors wondered whether these drugs could still be helpful to people who were at risk of developing the disease, but weren’t yet showing symptoms.