Introducing the 2023-2024 grant recipients of the Alzheimer Society Research Program 

Brain Canada invests $889,000 in dementia research 

Brain Canada, in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of Canada, CIHR-Institute of Aging, Research Manitoba, Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, and Fond de Recherche du Quebec (FRQ), are proud to announce the 2023-2024 grant recipients of the Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP)! 

These researchers are at the forefront of dementia research, working to transform innovative ideas into impactful solutions. 

Since 1989, the Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) has been a cornerstone of dementia research in Canada. It has invested nearly $78 million in grants and awards. The ASRP has two primary goals. The first is to encourage researchers to explore innovative approaches to advancing our understanding of dementia. The second is to enhance the quality of life for people living with dementia, as well as their families and caregivers. 

This year, Brain Canada co-funded fourteen Proof of Concept grants for a total of $689,000 and two New Investigator Operating Grants for a total of $200,000. In all, the foundation contributed $889,000 to the 2023-2024 ASRP program. This makes for a total funding of $1,778,000 with the Alzheimer Society of Canada for these sixteen grants. 

Congratulations to this year’s recipients! 

About the projects funded by Brain Canada and the Alzheimer Society of Canada: 

Proof of Concept Grants 

• Establishing protein signatures of MRI-detected vascular brain injury in circulating endothelial-derived extracellular vesicles in Alzheimer’s disease (Aman Badhwar, Université de Montréal) 

• A critical examination of family caregivers’ views on and experiences with medical assistance in dying (Andre Smith, University of Victoria)

• The role of TMEM106B in Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology (Anthony Flamier, Université de Montréal)

• Boosting self-cueing to maintain independence in dementia (Arlene Astell, University of Toronto)

• Assessing the Efficacy of a Hypomethylating Agent to Decrease Post-Pneumonia Cognitive Impairments (Dawn Bowdish, McMaster University)

• Evaluating the histone variant macroH2A1.1 as a master regulator of PARP1-Sirt1 balance in Alzheimer’s disease (Iva Zovkic, University of Toronto)

• MicroRNA biomarkers: Using Tears to Assess Alzheimer’s Disease  (Joanne Aiko Matsubara, University of British Columbia)

• Targeting the microbiota-gut-brain axis with diet and exercise interventions in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (Krista Power, University of Ottawa)

• Genes involved in APP-mediated GLUT1 regulation (Lisa Munter, The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning / McGill University)

• Does psilocybin increase synaptic density in the brain in patients with mild cognitive impairment? (Philip Gerretsen, Centre for Addictions and Mental Health / University of Toronto)

• Targeting the USP19 deubiquitinating enzyme for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (Simon Wing, McGill University Health Centre Research Institute)

• Health system implications of novel therapeutics for Alzheimer’s Disease: Supporting capacity planning with real-world evidence (Susan Bronskill, Sunnybrook Research Institute)

• DBS-PPN-AD: A Pilot Clinical Trial Investigating Deep Brain Stimulation of the Pedunculopontine Nucleus for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (Taufik Valiante, University Health Network)

• Amyloid beta oligomers: refining the therapeutic target through photo labelling and fractionation (Valerie Sim, University of Alberta)

New Investigator Operating Grants 

• A “tipping point” neuron type driving Alzheimer’s Disease progression (Mark Steven Cembrowski, University of British Columbia)

• Novel digital and adaptive marker of word-finding difficulties for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease (Maxime Montembeault, Douglas Research Centre)

To read the full list of researchers and projects funded, visit alzheimer.ca/fundingresults. 

This funding has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada), Brain Canada Foundation, and Alzheimer Society of Canada.