Government of Canada Reveals 32 New Brain Research Projects

Partnership with Brain Canada boosts innovative research to advance knowledge on neurological and mental illnesses.

TORONTO, Sept. 12, 2014 /CNW/ - The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, along with Inez Jabalpurwala, President and CEO of Brain Canada, today announced 32 projects being funded under the Canada Brain Research Fund.

The projects announced today will accelerate innovative research that will fundamentally change our understanding of nervous system function and dysfunction and their impact on health. The research will advance knowledge and support the development of new ways to diagnose and treat all types of neurological and mental illnesses.

Funding for all 32 projects totals nearly $51.4 million, half provided by the Government of Canada and half provided by private donors, research institutions, provincial funding agencies, and charitable organizations partnering with the Brain Canada Foundation.

Quick Facts

• The projects are based in seven different cities across the country: Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal and Quebec City.
• Following up on commitments made during the Global Dementia Legacy Event held in Ottawa September 11-12, three of the projects, which will explore neurodegeneration, are platforms being led by St. Michael's Hospital, the University of Manitoba, and the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University.
• In Budget 2011, the Government of Canada committed to providing up to $100 million over six years (2011-2017) to the Brain Canada Foundation to establish the Canada Brain Research Fund. This Fund provides dollar-for-dollar matching funding to the Brain Canada Foundation to support Canadian neuroscience research and advance knowledge and treatment of brain disease and mental disorders.
• Most recently, Budget 2014 announced $15 million per year to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, for the expansion of the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, the creation of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), and other health research priorities. With the CCNA initiative, Canada is joining forces with its G7 counterparts to support additional research with a view to finding a cure for dementia by 2025.

Quotes

Our Government recognizes the very real impact that neurological and mental health conditions have on Canadian families. Between 2006 and 2013, we have invested more than $861 million in neuroscience research through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
We are proud to be supporting these innovative new projects devoted to neurological and mental health research that will help to advance our knowledge on neurological and mental health.
Rona Ambrose
Minister of Health

The team grants and platforms we are announcing today showcase Canada's important contributions to the global effort to understand the brain and brain diseases. Brain Canada thanks all of the donors and partners on these projects, whose support is being matched by the Government of Canada. This historic investment of over $50 million in Canadian brain research is a testament to the success of the Canada Brain Research Fund public-private partnership.
Inez Jabalpurwala
President and CEO, Brain Canada

Associated Links

Brain Canada
Canadian Mental Health Association
Brain Injury Association of Canada
Rick Hansen Foundation
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Canada's Economic Action Plan
Fact Sheet - Thirty-two New Projects Announced through the Canada Brain Research Fund

SOURCE: Health Canada