Announcements

 ALS Canada and Brain Canada invest more than $700,000 in funding to strengthen the future of ALS research and care

With support from Fondation Vincent Bourque, investments help seven early-career researchers and clinicians to improve ALS patient care and deepen our understanding of the disease

Brain Canada and the ALS Society of Canada (ALS Canada) are pleased to announce the seven recipients of the 2024 ALS Canada-Brain Canada Clinical Research Fellowship and Trainee Awards. These grants are designed to foster the development of clinical expertise and research innovation, enabling early-career clinicians and researchers to enhance their skills and increase the understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects nearly 4,000 Canadians.

ALS is a complex disease that affects people differently, and there is still so much to learn. By investing in these early-career awards, we’re ensuring that a new generation will continue the work and build off the discoveries of those who came before them, which we hope will lead to better available treatments. These awards not only support future discoveries but also aim to elevate clinical care standards, essential to the quality of life for people living with ALS.

Dr. David Taylor, Vice-President of Research and Strategic Partnerships, ALS Canada

This year marks a decade since ALS Canada and Brain Canada united to support promising ALS researchers, fueled by the generous contributions of Canadians during the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. This collaborative partnership has amplified the impact of research funding, strengthened ALS research in Canada, and made progress toward a world free of ALS.

Brain Canada’s decade-long partnership with ALS Canada is making a meaningful impact in the ecosystem, contributing more than $25 million to ALS research to date. Our joint investment supports projects that will drive new discoveries in the development of effective treatments for this devastating disease, while also empowering the next generation of ALS researchers to advance their promising work. The learnings we gain through this powerful partnership will help us address other brain conditions, including MS, Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease.

Dr. Viviane Poupon, Brain Canada President & CEO.

Recipients 

The Clinical Research Fellowship is designed to support a clinician’s training in clinical care and research skills related to ALS over two years. This training is crucial to strengthening Canada’s clinical infrastructure for ALS care.

The Clinical Research Fellowship will provide $174,000 in funding.

2024 Clinical Research Fellowship

  • Mind the gap: Unlocking structural and molecular insights in the neuromuscular junction Dr. Matti Allen, a clinical fellow supervised by Dr. Angela Genge and Dr. Richard Robitaille, working at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Université de Montréal, awarded $174,000

The Trainee Awards include two streams of funding: Doctoral students pursuing their PhD and postdoctoral fellows, who receive financial support to cover their salaries for up to three years, providing Canadian labs with the necessary funds to have top researchers working on the best projects to understand the disease better and drive toward new treatments for individuals living with ALS.

A total of $520,000 was awarded through the 2024 Trainee Awards.

2024 Doctoral Awards

  • Granule Up! Stabilizing stress granule formation to promote cell survival in ALS Mariam Choughari, a PhD student supervised by Dr. Christine Vande Velde, working at CRCHUM, Université de Montréal, awarded $75,000 over three years
  • Chasing down the PPIA pathway: Protecting where the brain and muscles connect in ALS
    Marion Boyer, a PhD student supervised by Dr. Silvia Pozzi, working at Université Laval, awarded $75,000 over three years
  • Signaling a new therapeutic target for ALS: Unraveling the role of C9orf72 in synaptic function
    Bryan Kartono, a PhD student supervised by Dr. Janice Robertson, working at the University of Toronto, awarded $75,000 over three years
  • It’s not AI’mpossible: Exploring a new avenue for personalized ALS treatments
    Aakanksha Singh, a PhD student supervised by Dr. Sanjay Kalra, working at the University of Alberta, awarded $75,000 over three years

2024 Postdoctoral Fellowship

  • Junctioning to conclusions: Exploring neuromuscular junction vulnerability to uncover new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for ALS
    Dr. Agathe Lafont, a postdoctoral fellow supervised by Dr. Richard Robitaille, working at Université de Montréal, awarded $165,000 over three years
  • One break at a time: Uncovering the role of TDP-43 in DNA repairDr. Tzu-Yu Lin, a postdoctoral fellow supervised by Dr. Rodrigo Reyes Lamothe, working at McGill University, awarded $55,000 over one year

Funding for Dr. Agathe Lafont’s Postdoctoral Fellowship was made possible through a partnership with Fondation Vincent Bourque, who generously contributed $82,500 to ALS Canada, which Brain Canada matched through the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF).

The CBRF is an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada Foundation, which increases Canadians’ support for brain research and expands the philanthropic space for funding brain research to achieve maximum impact.

ALS