Partners in Neuroscience – across the globe

The Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University partners with India's National Brain Research Centre

The Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) formalized a sister institute relationship with the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) in Haryana, India. This important international collaboration marks the efforts of the MNI, as a research and teaching institute of McGill University, and the Quebec Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade (MDEIE) to broaden the impact of health research worldwide.

Professor Denis Thérien, Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations) at McGill University, and Professor Viji Ravindranath, Director, National Brain Research Centre, met in India on Friday, November 24, to commit the MNI and NBRC to scientific collaboration, to the exchange of highly trained personnel, and to the development of joint programs to advance research in neuroscience. Earlier meetings in Quebec and in India by Professor David Colman, Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute, Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec, and Dr. M.K. Bahn, Indian Secretary of Biotechnology, set the stage for this important development in bilateral scientific cooperation.

The landmark agreement will be announced at an evening reception at the residence of the High Commissioner in Delhi in a ceremony with Raymond Bachand, Quebec's minister of economic development, innovation and export trade, who is leading the Quebec commercial delegation in India. The new relationship between MNI and NBRC fosters economic development and advances the worldwide recognition of the Montreal Neurological Institute and McGill University as excellent academic institutions that make Quebec an attractive site for investment and immigration. Both institutions are known for their contribution to health research which is fundamental to medical advances.

This week, McGill University is sponsoring a scientific delegation in India with experts in biology, physics, computer science and other fields engaging colleagues at premier institutions across India to investigate opportunities for joint research. This delegation includes from the MNI Professor Christopher Pack, a new recruit from Harvard University, Professor Stefano Stifani and Professor Bruce Pike, Director of the MNI's McConnell Brain Imaging Centre. Other scientists from the MNI's Brain Imaging Centre, Alan Evans and Robert Zatorre, will visit NBRC in December to discuss how advances in brain imaging contribute to better diagnoses and to improved patient care.

The Montreal Neurological Institute is a McGill University research and teaching institute, dedicated to the study of the nervous system and neurological diseases. Founded in 1934 by the renowned Dr. Wilder Penfield, the MNI is one of the world's largest institutes of its kind. MNI researchers are world leaders in cellular and molecular neuroscience, brain imaging, cognitive neuroscience and the study and treatment of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and neuromuscular disorders. The MNI, with its clinical partner, the Montreal Neurological Hospital (MNH), part of the McGill University Health Centre, continues to integrate research, patient care and training, and is recognized as one of the premier neuroscience centres in the world.