Dr. Benicio Frey, a researcher and clinician at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, is pioneering the development of a new platform that will accelerate the pace of mood disorder research in Canada. The Brain Canada Foundation is committing $1.88 million to support the continuation of this platform. This funding, in addition to the nearly $2 million contributed by other organizations including the Research Institute based at St. Joseph's Health System, will address a major roadblock to mood disorder research by expediting recruitment for large-scale clinical trials that support the accurate treatment of mood disorders.
"Brain Canada's investment will increase the pace of research and discovery in mood disorders."
– Dr. Benicio Frey
"Our open-source database and clinical trial registry, available to the broader neuroscience research community, will make clinical trials more accessible to our community. This award will support a national collaborative and patient-centered approach to clinical trial research, leading to more accurate treatments for people with mood disorders."
Co-designed with people with lived experience, the ENABLE platform can facilitate more meaningful clinical trials to develop improved treatments, ultimately leading to a better quality of life for individuals with mood disorders. This Canadian, open-source platform will provide the neuroscience research community with access to a large registry of clinical trial participants and their biomarker data, expediting mood disorder research by enabling quicker access to a precise pool of participants.
“At Brain Canada, we believe that transformative advances in brain health depend on equipping researchers with the resources they need to move discoveries into better care,” said Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada.
“ENABLE represents an important step forward for mood disorder research in Canada, creating a national resource that will accelerate clinical trials, strengthen collaboration, and bring us closer to more personalized and effective treatments.”
- Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada
The Brain Canada Foundation’s $1.88 million contribution is part of a $3.8 million platform support grant made possible through the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), a partnership between the Government of Canada and Brain Canada, with financial contributions from partners and donors.
“The financial support of the Brain Canada Foundation allows St. Joe’s to continue to play a leading role in mental health and addictions research.”
- Dr. Lehana Thabane, Vice President of Research at St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Scientific Director of the Research Institute based at St Joseph’s Health System
“Our researchers are driven by our joint mission of unstoppable compassion and unstoppable discovery to deepen our understanding of mood disorders and provide better patient care.”
By taking a patient-centered approach to developing the ENABLE platform, Dr. Frey is advancing the research priorities that matter most to the people and families impacted by mood disorders and finding innovative, timely and cost-effective treatment solutions.
Learn more about Brain Canada Platform Support Grants
