Brain and nervous system disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, autism, and brain cancers are among the most devastating health challenges of our time. They affect over 600,000 Canadians and millions worldwide, with cases expected to rise sharply in the coming decades. These diseases are extremely difficult to treat because we still do not fully understand the underlying molecular changes that drive them. The McGill Mass Spectrometry Platform for Neurobiology (MMSPN) will tackle such unmet medical challenges by bringing together three powerful areas of molecular science: proteomics (the study of proteins), metabolomics (the study of metabolism), and lipidomics (the study of lipids). By analyzing these molecular “layers” together within a single biological specimen (e.g. blood sample) this will advance our fundamental understanding of how diseases begin and progress. MMSPN will unite two established facilities at McGill University (the Proteomics & Molecular Analysis group at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and the Metabolomics Innovation Resource at the Goodman Cancer Institute) with world-leading bioinformatics expertise. To dissect complex “multi-omic” data sets, newly acquired state-of-the-art instrumentation combined with advanced, artificial intelligence-driven analyses will allow us to characterize thousands of molecules with greater speed and depth than ever before. In turn, this innovative data will be accessible to researchers across Canada and beyond to enable critical new discoveries (e.g. identification of molecular “signatures” to distinguish patient subgroups, novel biomarkers for earlier diagnostics, and accelerated development of therapeutics). Support from Brain Canada will ensure the MMSPN platform remains accessible and affordable for the neuroscience community. It will train the next generation of scientists, strengthen collaborations with industry and international consortia and, most importantly, lead to improved health outcomes for Canadians affected by devastating brain diseases.
Partners & Donors
Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC)
Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute (GCI), McGill University
