Funded Grants

Over the past several years, zebrafish have proven to be a valuable model to study motor neuron degeneration and search for new treatments.

Rhabdoid brain tumours are the most common brain cancers in infants.

Scientists have long wondered what the contribution of environment is to ALS and in recent years the idea that a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers has taken shape.

Dr. Patten started his research career as a PhD student at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Declan Ali in 2004.

This project will focus on comprehensively studying impaired transmission of signals (from the brain) at the location where neurons and muscles meet, called the neuromuscular junction.

The process by which ALS spreads throughout the body remains a mystery, but Dr. Neil Cashman has spent decades looking at how abnormal changes in shape (scientifically called misfolding) of crucial proteins (the substances that do life processes) in our cells might propagate disease from one cell to another.

Many scientists believe that one of the earliest abnormalities in ALS is dysfunction at the place where motor neurons connect to muscle, known as the neuromuscular junction (NMJ).

Alzheimer’s disease disproportionately affects women and emerging evidence suggests there may be unique biological and lifestyle factors that underlie these differences.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are two psychiatric conditions that affect approximately 2% of the general population. Genetic studies have identified mutations in hundreds of genes associated with ASD and SZ.

One of the greatest advancements in science over the past 10 years is the development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).