The objective of the Accelerate Grants is to support research aimed at improving the commercial potential of a neuroscience-related technology and to position it for commercial development.
| HBHL Research Theme | Principal Investigator | Partner(s) | Project Title | Funding Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Jeremy Cooperstock | Advancing IMAGE Support for the HumanWare/APH Monarch | Total: $100,000 | |
| 2 | Benoit Gentil | Development of a gene therapy for ARSACS and intermediate filament disorders | Total: $200,000 | |
| 2 | Yannis Trakadis | Bit Healix, AI-powered precision medicine platform | Total: $200,000 | |
| 4 | Carlo Santaguida | Integrating a machine learning based surgical triage algorithm into clinical decision support systems for physiotherapists | Total: $200,000 | |
| 2 | Philippe Gros | Corbin Therapeutics | Commercialization of USP15 as a therapeutic target in Neuroinflammation and Parkinson’s Disease: Studies in USP15 defective Human Astrocytes and Human Microglia, and Development of potent and selective USP15 inhibitors |
Total: $454,000 HBHL: $200,000 |
| 4 | Salah El Mestikawy | Development of Donquine and analogs, first-in-class drug candidates to treat anorexia |
Total: $540,000 HBHL: $190,000 |
Funded Project Summaries
Advancing IMAGE Support for the HumanWare/APH Monarch
The Shared Reality Lab (SRL), situated in McGill’s Electrical and Computer Engineering department, has been working on Internet Multimodal Access to Graphical Exploration (IMAGE) since 2021. The purpose of IMAGE is to take photos, maps, and charts found on the web, and automatically translate them into audio/tactile experiences that can be used by people who are blind or low-vision (BLV). It does not replace, but rather, supplements, the descriptions that can be generated by large language model (LLM) approaches, in that IMAGE can create more visceral experiences via techniques including spatialized audio and using haptic devices. For example, a pie chart can be rendered as a sound moving around the user’s head, with the angular extent of each spatialized audio segment proportional to the corresponding pie wedge, thereby giving a similar sense of proportion that a sighted user receives simply by looking at the chart. IMAGE is designed as an extensible, open-source platform that can be modified and built upon to integrate new machine learning modules and experience rendering approaches, as well as incorporate support for new hardware devices. The IMAGE team has a vested interest in seeing the platform used by a wide variety of partners, to fulfil its long-term goal of becoming a foundational technology for accelerating the design, implementation, and deployment of accessibility solutions for graphical content.
HBHL Research Theme: 4
Principal Investigator: Jeremy Cooperstock
Funding Received: $100,000
Development of a gene therapy for ARSACS and intermediate filament disorders
No treatment is currently available for ARSACS patients and current approaches focus on drug repurposing or are still in the discovery phase. Apart from ARSACS (2500 patients worldwide for now), this project’s gene therapy candidate, can potentially be used for the treatment of other neurological disorders, such as peripheral neuropathies (2,6 million worldwide), Huntington (250,000 patients worldwide) or spinocerebellar ataxia 1 (50,000 patients). Altogether these disorders represent a substantial unmet medical need. This team believes that directly targeting the mechanisms of human pathogenesis by replacing dysfunctional genes or proteins, as well as disrupting pathological protein aggregates, would represent a clear breakthrough in the management of multiple diseases. The overall vision of this gene therapy would be to stop, delay, or prevent the onset of further symptoms/disabilities, as well as correct motor dysfunctions and improve patients’ quality of life.
HBHL Research Theme: 2
Principal Investigator: Benoit Gentil
Funding Received: $200,000
Bit Healix, AI-powered precision medicine platform
The lack of personalization in healthcare leads to suboptimal medication treatment and side effects, costing the US healthcare system an estimated $495-672 billion annually. Our AI-powered precision medicine platform aims to address this issue by analyzing a patient's Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) and clinical information to prioritize medications most likely to be safe and effective for the individual. Current pharmacogenetic (PGx) solutions have limited scope, focusing on a small fraction of genetic variations and considering each variant in isolation. Our comprehensive approach accounts for all genetic variants, their interactions, but also the clinical data of patients, thus offering significantly better clinical utility over existing PGx tests. Bit Healix is focusing on psychiatric disease as a strategic entry point, aiming to first address the high rate of ineffective treatment in this area of medicine. We will be offering a precision medicine platform supporting the physician’s decision making about personalized medication prioritization for a given patient.
HBHL Research Theme: 2
Principal Investigator: Yannis Trakadis
Funding Received: $200,000
Integrating a machine learning based surgical triage algorithm into clinical decision support systems for physiotherapists
The invention is a machine learning (ML)-based algorithm specifically developed to improve surgical triage in the management of spine disorders. Integrated within a clinical decision support system (CDSS), this advanced algorithm empowers physiotherapists (PTs) to accurately assess and surgically triage patients, determine eligibility for expedited spine surgery referrals, and make well-informed decisions regarding conservative management options. The primary objective of the algorithm is to elevate decision-making accuracy among less experienced PTs to levels comparable with those of highly experienced, surgeon-trained PTs.
HBHL Research Theme: 4
Principal Investigator: Carlo Santaguida
Funding Received: $200,000
Commercialization of USP15 as a therapeutic target in Neuroinflammation and Parkinson’s Disease: Studies in USP15 defective Human Astrocytes and Human Microglia, and Development of potent and selective USP15 inhibitors
We aim to advance USP15 inhibition as a therapeutic avenue for NI in PD. Our proposal has 3 strategic aims. First, we will establish whether USP15 contributes to NI and neurodegeneration in human astrocytes and human microglia, and establish whether targeting these cells for USP15 inhibition is of therapeutic value in humans. We will create human pluripotent stem cells that express mutant USP15 variants introduced by knock-in, and will derive USP15-defective human astrocytes and microglial lines. We will characterize the effect of USP15 mutations on functional properties of astrocytes and microglia in vitro, including activation to pro-inflammatory phenotypes associated with NI in PD. Second, we will develop USP15 inhibitors of therapeutic value based on our recently developed hit series that show strong potency with good SAR, with selectivity for USP15, and promising activity in cell-based assays. We will use medicinal chemistry and structure-based approaches (X-ray crystallography) to improve their potency, selectivity and efficacy in blunting NI in vitro and in vivo. We propose to conduct preclinical studies of our best inhibitors, including pharmacokinetics, toxicology and efficacy in vivo.
HBHL Research Theme: 2
Principal Investigator: Philippe Gros
Funding Received: $454,000
Development of Donquine and analogs, first-in-class drug candidates to treat anorexia
Almost 1 million Canadians suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. Currently, there is no specific treatment for anorexia nervosa. Excessive habits are at the heart of self-destructive behaviors observed in anorexia. We recently established that the neurotransmitter named acetylcholine is a pivotal regulator of anorexia-like behavior in mice. We also identified that donepezil (Aricept), a well-known acetylcholine esterase inhibitor, corrects these deficits. These findings represent a major breakthrough in the field. However, pro-cholinergic drugs (such as donepezil) have numerous peripheral side effects. We propose to develop derivates of donepezil with increased capacity to penetrate the brain. We used an in-silico docking strategy to identify a drug candidate, LMB1-01-002, that virtually showed 30-fold higher potency than marketed donepezil. At low doses, LMB1-01-002, restored normal eating behaviour in a relevant rodent model of anorexia. Low dose regimens will help reduce or eliminate deleterious side effects. This program will lead to first-in-class, specific pharmacological treatment for anorexia with high potential to expand to broader compulsive disorders such as OCD and addiction.
HBHL Research Theme: 4
Principal Investigator: Salah El Mestikawy
Funding Received: $540,000
