Major boost to brain research with new $4M grant to help advance the field of neuroscience

Congratulations to our McGill Neuroscience researchers for their role in the Brain Canada grant led by Dr. Yves de Koninck (Laval University): The Canadian Optogenetics and Vectorology Foundry. McGill neuroscientists and other team members from across the country form a consortium of research sites that aims to accelerate the development and dissemination of optogenetic and viral tools.

Optogenetics, a technique involving the use of light to monitor and control neurons, holds countless opportunities for the future of neuroscience research, drug development, diagnostics, and treatment of brain disorders. By implementing a critical Design-Build-Test cycle, the tools developed through the platform will undergo testing in various models to optimize their application across species and disease models, including translation towards clinical application.

Results obtained from the testing of these innovative tools will be shared with the larger scientific community to foster collaboration and push Canadian and international neuroscience research forward. The initiative also supports broad dissemination of the optimized tools.

"We are very proud to support initiatives that champion the spirit of open science,” says Dr. Viviane Poupon, Brain Canada CEO and President. “By sharing data and results with a range of different researchers, platforms like the Canadian Optogenetics and Vectorology Foundry have the potential to truly speed up scientific discovery and have a positive international impact.

This Project has been made possible with the financial support of Health Canada, through the Canada Brain Research Fund, an innovative partnership between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada, and the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Université Laval CERVO, McGill University, University of Calgary, and University of Ottawa.

McGill Team:

TOMOKO OHYAMA, PHD

REZA SHARIF-NAEINI, PHD

EDWARD FON, MD, FRCP(C)

EDWARD S RUTHAZER, PH. D.

KEITH MURAI, PHD

STUART TRENHOLM, PHD

THOMAS DURCAN, PH.D.