$203.9 million raised to impact the lives of people with neurological disease

Brains Need Open Minds campaign, the largest in The Neuro’s history, has fueled innovative brain research

An initiative to reduce wait times for spinal cord surgery, research that is testing ways to inhibit brain cancer cells, an open database for multiple sclerosis and an app that tracks Alzheimer’s progression and aids diagnosis. All these projects and more were made possible by a campaign that has raised $203.9 million for groundbreaking neuroscience research and patient care.

Through the Brains Need Open Minds campaign, The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) embarked on a mission to fund bold, innovative research, ultimately impacting the lives of people with neurological disease. Now the campaign is coming to a close, having fulfilled its goal and exceeded its original target of $200 million. Among the innovative projects supported by the campaign:

• CareAxis, which trains physiotherapists in clinics across Quebec to triage patients with back pain for surgery, reducing the number of people on waitlists for unnecessary surgeries.
   
• Scientists have started identifying the abnormal signaling in stem cells that give rise to a particularly dangerous type of brain cancer called glioblastoma, and are testing drugs that could stop tumour growth, a promising approach also being studied in other types of cancers. Progress is also being made in the fields of two other brain cancers, astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma. A clinical trial at The Neuro will test a drug in patient-derived cells to determine the drug’s effectiveness in inhibiting cancer growth. This same drug will also be tested in live patients and the results compared to understand how and why the drug works at a cellular level.
   
• Dr. Etienne de Villers-Sidani has developed an eye-tracking app that can detect signs of Alzheimer’s disease and track its progress within minutes in the patient’s own home. With the help of philanthropy, he developed AI software that discovered patterns in the eye movements of people with Alzheimer’s. The app can detect these patterns in other users and provide scientifically-sound evidence of disease and progression.
   
• Behind a number of these advances lies The Neuro’s global commitment to Open Science — sharing data and discoveries to speed progress for all. Through initiatives like DEMySTIFI, an open multiple sclerosis database hosted in The Neuro’s Open Biobank, researchers across the world can access high-quality data to uncover new treatment pathways. By opening its research ecosystem, The Neuro ensures that every discovery made possible by philanthropy continues to generate knowledge far beyond its walls.
   

Hope for a better tomorrow

One in three Canadians are affected by a brain disorder at some point in their lives, according to Brain Canada. Brains Need Open Minds has helped address the urgent need for better therapies by fueling fundamental brain research.

“Brains Need Open Minds was the most ambitious fundraising campaign in The Neuro’s history, raising four times more funds than the previous campaign,” said Dr. Guy Rouleau, Director of The Neuro. “This money has already made a big impact on The Neuro and will continue to do so via our Open Science mission. Thank you to all the donors and volunteers, as well as everyone involved in this important achievement.”

“Thanks to donorship, I was able to go forward with my Alzheimer’s eye-tracking device, which is now having a tangible impact on patients’ lives,” said Dr. de Villers-Sidani. “The support helped me bridge the gap between basic research and application, to bring benefits to people with neurodegenerative disease.”

“Philanthropy is more than a gift—it enables innovation, healing, and hope,” said Wendy Sculnick, Managing Director of Philanthropy at The Neuro. “Donor support empowers researchers to unlock the mysteries of the brain and helps transform lives touched by neurological illness."

About The Neuro

The Neuro – The Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital – is a bilingual, world-leading destination for brain research and advanced patient care. Since its founding in 1934 by renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Wilder Penfield, it has grown to be the largest specialized neuroscience research and clinical center in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. The seamless integration of research, patient care, and training of the world’s top minds make The Neuro uniquely positioned to have a significant impact on the understanding and treatment of nervous system disorders. It was the first academic institute in the world to fully adopt Open Science, to help accelerate the generation of knowledge and discovery of novel effective treatments for brain disorders. The Neuro is a McGill University research and teaching institute and part of the Neuroscience Mission of the McGill University Health Centre.