The Krembil Research Institute has partnered with The Globe and Mail to release a magazine series highlighting Krembil researchers’ tremendous research advancements. The first of three magazines in the series, distributed to Globe and Mail subscribers across Canada on April 26, 2017, focuses on success stories from Krembil’s brain and spine program (you can read the full issue online).
“Researchers at Krembil are working relentlessly to understand and cure various neurological diseases,” says Dr. Donald Weaver, Director of the Krembil Research Institute. The stories highlighted in The Globe and Mail ‘Neuro’ version are summarized below:
· Dr. Lyanne Schlichter is characterizing the role of immune cells, microglia and lymphocytes, in inflammation and inflammation-associated brain damage.
· Dr. James Eubanks is using genetic animal models to better understand and ultimately develop a cure for Rett Syndrome, a devastating neurological disorder that targets young girls.
· Dr. Michael Fehlings is studying whether combined surgical and pharmaceutical intervention can improve neurological function following spinal cord injury.
· Dr. Andres Lozano is using focused beams of ultrasound to surgically treat uncontrollable tremors.
· Dr. Jérémie Lefebvre is using mathematical models to find out how the brain works.
· Dr. Michael Tymianski is leveraging his fundamental neurobiology breakthroughs to develop new and innovative therapies to prevent and reverse stroke damage.
· Dr. Donald Weaver is using medicinal chemistry and computer-aided drug design to develop a pharmacological cure for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.
· Dr. Sidney Kennedy is part of a multidisciplinary team that is working together to find biological markers of depression, so that better and faster-working treatments can be developed.
· Dr. Charles Tator and colleagues are on a quest to find better ways to diagnose and treat concussions.
· Dr. Karen Davis is using advanced brain imaging techniques to understand how pain is processed in the brain, with the goal of developing highly effective pain management strategies.
· Dr. Anthony Lang is searching for biological markers of Parkinson’s disease, which can be used to detect and treat the disease before damage occurs.
· Dr. Taufik Valiante is developing a medical device that, once implanted in the patient’s brain, can safely detect and stop seizures before they happen.
· Mark Krembil, President of the Krembil Foundation, discusses why it has been a priority for his family to continue their commitment to funding medical research in Canada.
“There are many exciting stories of progress and success emerging from our laboratories,” explains Dr. Weaver. “Some of these stories are told in this magazine. This is only a sampling of what we do and what we are capable of.”