2025 NMD4C Basic Research Summer School

The annual NMD4C summer school provides lecture-based and hands-on training workshops to neuromuscular trainees in cutting-edge wet lab techniques, while providing an environment for trainees to present their research and network in-person with colleagues and senior investigators from across Canada.

We will host our second basic science research summer school for neuromuscular research trainees over Wednesday May 7- Thursday May 8, 2025 at York University in Toronto, ON led by Dr. Chris Perry.

Supporting preclinical trainees and scientists is a key focus of the network, and we are aiming to make this event as accessible as possible for trainees to attend from across Canada. There will be no registration fee, and support will be available for accommodation in Toronto and for travel.

2025 Summer School Program and Themes

Program

The Summer School will be held over two days. On the first day attendees will receive lectures from leading researchers, patient partners, and industry members. On the second day, attendees will participate in one of two full-day workshops. Following each day's activities, there will be networking opportunities for attendees. The draft program is available here!

Workshop Themes

Myofibre Isolation and Analysis (led by Dr. Anthony Scimè): The myofibre isolation workshop will provide students with hands-on experience with the well-established method of analyzing adult muscle stem cells in their microenvironment on muscle myofibres. Participants will gain skills in appropriately dissecting and dissociating the extensor digitorum longus muscle for single myofibre isolation, followed by fixation and mounting techniques to allow for the assessment of muscle stem cell behaviour ex vivo. This workshop is ideal for trainees interested in using an innovative and advanced approach to study muscle stem cells from quiescence and activation, through to their fate decisions for self-renewal and commitment.

Rodent Muscle Function Assessment (led by Dr. Arthur Cheng): This workshop is tailored for trainees working in research labs who study mouse models of neuromuscular diseases but may lack practical experience in assessing muscle function. Participants will learn essential techniques to measure skeletal muscle contractile force, focusing on the muscle length-tension relationship and the force-frequency relationship. These techniques will be explored through 1)In vivo assessments – directly in a living mouse; and 2) In vitro analyses – using isolated hindlimb muscles. By mastering these methods, you will gain the skills needed to evaluate the severity of muscle weakness in mouse models and to assess the impact of interventions such as pharmacological treatments, nutritional strategies, or exercise programs.

A draft agenda for both workshops is available here. Please note this draft may be subject to change.

York University Muscle Health Awareness Day

Muscle Health Awareness Day (MHAD) is an annual event hosted by the York University Muscle Health Research Centre. This event brings together muscle health researchers/trainees in a multitude of experimental paradigms and provides an opportunity for the presentation of their work. The 2025 event will take place on Friday May 9th directly after the summer school and we encourage all summer school attendees to also attend MHAD!

Summer school attendees will have access to a discounted registration rate of $20 for the MHAD.

Speakers

The NMD4C summer school will provide several lecture-based training sessions in cutting-edge wet lab techniques. We are developing the 2025 speaker list, please check back soon for a list of confirmed speakers.

Eligibility Criteria

Placements at the summer school are subject to a competitive application process. Successful applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

A NMD4C member
Current full-time graduate student, postdoctoral research fellow, or other junior research staff* conducting neuromuscular disease-focused research at a Canadian institution**.

*Participation of junior research staff will be based on placement availability; graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will be given preference.
**Placements may be restricted to one trainee per lab based on the number of applications received.

Application Process & Guidelines

The full application guidelines are available here.

Applicants will need to include the following in their application:

Contact information: Applicants must include their name, email, institution, role, their supervisor(s) contact information, and neuromuscular disease(s) researched.
Research and Training Goals: Applicants must provide a short paragraph describing why they would like to attend the summer school, how they anticipate this to benefit their training and career goals and how the training may be impactful for their home lab and research colleagues.
Flash Talks: Attendees will be invited to give a short (<3-min.) flash talk on their NMD research as a form of introduction at the beginning of the summer school. Applicants must indicate their interest in giving a flash talk.
Accommodation and Travel Bursaries: For non-local applicants, applicants will need to indicate whether they would like university accommodation during the summer school, and if they would like to be considered for a travel bursary.
Supervisor Approval: Applicants will require their supervisor's approval to attend the summer school. Supervisors must sign the approval form to be uploaded during the application.

Please complete the application in English as the summer school will be delivered in English.

Accommodation & Travel Support

Accommodations: Meals (May 7 and 8) and accommodation (for the nights of May 6-8) will be provided.
Travel Support: Travel support (sufficient to cover all/most of your travel to and from summer school) are available for all non-local attendees.

Selection

32 applicants will be chosen based on training and career goals, commitment to NMD research, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and indigeneity.
Priority will be given to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
The number of participants attending per lab may be limited.