Drugs targeting ‘zombie cells’ show promise for treating chronic back pain
In a preclinical study led by McGill University researchers, two drugs targeting “zombie cells” have been shown to treat the underlying cause of chronic low back pain. The condition affects millions of people worldwide.
Current treatments manage symptoms through painkillers or surgery, without addressing the root cause.
SEX CELLS! On the importance of sex and gender in brain health
Last week, we welcomed neuroscientists Liisa Galea (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) and Robert-Paul Juster (Université de Montréal) for SEX CELLS!, a vital conversation on implementing Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (SGBA+) in health research.
Fighting honey fraud with AI technology
McGill University researchers have developed an AI-powered method to verify the origin of honey, ensuring that what’s on the label matches what’s in the jar. The breakthrough offers a potential solution to a long-standing problem.
New drone-assisted 3D model offers a more accurate way to date dinosaur fossils
A new study from McGill University is reshaping how scientists date dinosaur fossils in Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park (DPP). Using advanced drone-assisted 3D mapping, researchers have uncovered significant variations in a key geological marker, challenging long-standing methods of determining the ages of dinosaur fossils.
What links cannabis use and psychosis? Researchers point to the brain’s dopamine system
A McGill University-led study found that people with cannabis use disorder (CUD) had elevated dopamine levels in a brain region associated with psychosis.
“This could help explain why cannabis use increases the risk of hallucinations and delusions, key symptoms of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders,” said first author Jessica Ahrens, a PhD student in McGill’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience.
HBHL gets solid representation at 2025 Bravo Gala
The 2025 Bravo Gala was a celebration of McGill University's research community, and HBHL is proud to have been so well represented. Congratulations to the following HBHL-supported researchers for these outstanding awards:
Call for proposals: Foundational and Research in Motion
D2R is pleased to launch the call for proposals for the Foundational and Research in Motion funding program.
This program integrates two previously separate funding programs - Foundational Projects and Research in Motion (RIM) - into a single, unified call. This program provides researchers with the flexibility to explore novel ideas and develop cutting-edge solutions that have the potential to lead to commercialization or clinical application.
McGill discovery sheds new light on autism, intellectual disabilities
A new study by McGill University researchers yields insights into how the disruption of calcium transport in the brain is linked to autism and intellectual disability. The findings, published in the journal Nature, not only upend a long-held belief among neuroscientists, but could pave the way for treatments.
March Neurogenesis talks explore brain mechanisms in food choice and computational modelling
Last week, HBHL hosted the third talk of the 2024-2025 Neurogenesis Speaker Series at the Neuro, featuring Dana Small and Yashar Zeighami.
COVID-19 boosters help avoid breakthrough infections in immunocompromised people, McGill-led study finds
New research findings provide solid evidence that annual COVID-19 vaccine booster doses continue to be advisable for certain immunocompromised people, researchers at McGill University say.
Humpback whales’ use of memory to time their migration could prove less effective amid climate change
A new study led by McGill University researchers indicates that humpback whales in the southeastern Pacific combine real-time environmental cues with their memories of conditions in their Antarctic feeding grounds to determine when to embark on their annual 10,000-kilometre journey. With climate change accelerating, the researchers warn this strategy may become less effective amid shifting ocean conditions.
AI analysis challenges autism diagnosis criteria
An analysis of digital health records using large language models (LLMs) is challenging a long-held belief about the clinical identifiers of autism.
D2R awards $10 million to accelerate RNA-based therapies for rare diseases and cancer
Montreal, March 26, 2025 – McGill University’s DNA to RNA Initiative (D2R) has awarded over $10 million in funding to support three groundbreaking research projects that will advance RNA-based therapies for cancer and rare genetic diseases. The awards were initially announced at the D2R Research Symposium on March 13, 2025.
Study of velvet worm slime could revolutionize sustainable material design
A new discovery about the slime ejected by velvet worms could revolutionize sustainable material design, according to a study by McGill University researchers. Their findings outline how a naturally occurring protein structure, conserved across species from Australia, Singapore and Barbados over nearly 400 million years of evolution, enables the slime’s transformation from liquid to fibre and back again.
Genetic sequencing project receives more than $8 million in funding
NeuRo Genomics Initiative will help better understand rare and aging-related neurological disorders affecting Canadians
A project led by Ziv Gan-Or, MD, PhD, at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University and Martine Tétreault, PhD, at Université de Montréal has received more than $8 million to sequence the genomes of 8,700 people, to map the role of genetics in neurological disorders.