Powering CNS Drug Discovery

New Translational Platform to Accelerate Treatments for Brain and Spinal Cord Disorders 

Brain Canada is proud to announce the final award in its 2024 Platform Support Grant (PSG) program: A Translational Platform in CNS Drug Development, led by Pr. Philippe Sarret at the Université de Sherbrooke, and researcher at the Centre de recherche du CHUS, CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS. This initiative completes the 14 platforms awarded through the latest PSG competition—each one selected to strengthen Canada’s capacity in brain research and accelerate discovery. 

The new $4.18M platform, named the Center for Accelerating Neuroscience Drug and Imaging Development (CANDID), is designed to fast-track the discovery and development of new treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders, which affect millions of Canadians and are notoriously difficult to treat.

“We aim to establish a continuum of technological platforms designed to accelerate the transition from basic to preclinical and clinical research. The goal is to support all key stages of new drug development, from molecule identification to preclinical validation, in order to increase the chances of success during clinical trials. Numerous brain-related conditions stand to benefit from the CANDID platform: glioblastoma (an aggressive brain cancer), stroke, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and cognitive decline, as well as chronic pain,” explains Pr. Philippe Sarret, Scientific Director of the Institut de pharmacologie de Sherbrooke. Despite rapid advances in biomedical research, drug development for CNS diseases continues to face major hurdles. CANDID will tackle this challenge head-on by bringing together a powerful interdisciplinary consortium. By uniting all phases of the CNS drug development process at a single site, CANDID will function as a one-stop national resource that supports discovery from the lab bench to patient impact. In doing so, it will also serve as a training ground for the next generation of highly qualified personnel, while strengthening the growth of Canada’s biopharmaceutical and biomedical sectors. 

This platform is sponsored by the Université de Sherbrooke, CIUSSS de l’Estrie-CHUS, including Centre de recherche du CHUS and Centre de recherche sur le vieillissement, Qubit Pharmaceuticals and WhiteLab Genomics. 

The creation of the CANDID platform illustrates the strength and expertise of our Institute of Pharmacology in drug discovery and our commitment to cross-sector collaboration. By bringing together partners from research, healthcare, and industry, we will advance knowledge, support the development of the next generation, and drive therapeutic innovation. We extend our sincere thanks to Brain Canada for its financial support. 

Vice-Rector of Research at the Université de Sherbrooke, Professor Anne Lessard.

“CANDID is an ambitious and exciting initiative that holds enormous promise,” notes Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada. “It reflects the core goals of our Platform Support Grants—to invest in enabling infrastructure, to support collaboration and innovation, and to drive scientific progress that ultimately improves lives.” 

The 2024 Platform Support Grants are made possible through the Canada Brain Research Fund, a public-private partnership led by Brain Canada, with financial support from Health Canada.