More than $5.5 million of CIHR funding awarded to NMD4C members to strengthen neuromuscular research capacity in Canada
Congratulations to the recipients of the Fall 2022 CIHR funded project grant competition! Seven projects were awarded (>5.5M) to NMD4C members to advance neuromuscular research in Canada: Drs. Rashmi Kothary and Cynthia Gagnon (steering committee members); Dr. Bernard Brais (investigator); Drs. Elise Duchesne (2 projects funded) and Gerald Pfeffer (working group members); and Drs. Yan Burelle, Nicolas Dumont (2 projects funded), Penney Gilbert, Luc Hébert, Mireille Khacho, Keir Menzies, Louise Moyle, and Toshifumi Yokota (members). Of note, 6/7 of the funded projects were awarded to early-career researchers (Drs. Nicolas Dumont, Elise Duchesne, Mireille Khacho, and Louise Moyle). Further information on the funding recipients can be found below.
Project Title: Extra-neuronal contribution to spinal muscular atrophy disease pathogenesis ($818,550).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Rashmi Kothary; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Project Title: Regulation of satellite stem cell fate by LINC complex proteins ($1,071,000).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Penney Gilbert; University of Toronto
Co-Investigators: Drs. Louise Moyle and Aaron Wheeler
Project Title: Therapeutic potential of bioactive lipids as anti-fibrotic therapy for muscle regeneration and dystrophies ($757,350).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Nicolas Dumont; Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine (Montréal, Québec)
Project Title: Targeting defective cells to restore myogenesis and muscle function in myotonic dystrophy type 1 ($761,175).
Principal Investigators: Drs. Nicolas Dumont and Elise Duchesne; Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine (Montréal, Québec)
Project Title: IMPACT, a supervised rehabilitation program for spastic ataxias: A rater-blinded, randomized controlled trial ($638,776).
Principal Investigators: Drs. Elise Duchesne, Mylene Aubertin, Bernard Brais, and Cynthia Gagnon; Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
Co-Investigators: Drs. Rubens da Silva, Raquel Fonseca, Luc Hébert, Gerald Pfeffer
Project Title: Mitochondrial Quality Control in Muscle Stem Cells: A Determinant of Cell Fate Decision and Tissue Repair Capacity ($692,325).
Principal Investigator: Dr. Yan Burelle; University of Ottawa
Co-Investigators: Drs. Mireille Khacho, Keir Menzies
Project Title: Neutrophil Responses in Doxorubicin-Induced Myopathy ($879,750).
Principal Investigator: Javier Clemente-Casares; University of Alberta
Co-Investigators: Gavin Oudit, Toshifumi Yokota
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This year in review outlines a collection of achievements from the network over the past year.
NMD4C and MDC Award Fellowship Funding in NMD Research and Medicine
Together the Neuromuscular Disease Network for Canada (NMD4C) and Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) are excited to announce the 2025 recipients of our neuromuscular fellowship funding competition to award postdoctoral fellowships in neuromuscular disease (NMD) research and clinical fellowships in neuromuscular medicine and electromyography!
NMD4C Basic Science Trainee Committee Provides Leadership Opportunity for Next Generation of Neuromuscular Researchers
The newly-formed Basic Science Trainee Committee represents the interests of trainees within the network, offering an opportunity for professional growth for future leaders in neuromuscular research.
NMD4C and MDC Host Second SMA Outcome Measure Training Workshop for Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists Across Canada
The Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Motor Function Measures workshop organized by the NMD4C in collaboration with MDC took place in Montreal, Quebec on December 3rd, 2024 and was a resounding success. This workshop was established to harmonize assessment practices for the following SMA outcome measures across Canada
NMD4C Launch New Multi-Disciplinary Care of Neuromuscular Diseases Education Curriculum
The NMD4C is excited to share a new training and education initiative from our education team! The Multi-Disciplinary Care of Neuromuscular Diseases lecture series is a new CPD-Accredited 24-topic webinar series designed as an advanced curriculum for the practicing clinical audience to learn fundamentals of multi-disciplinary care for patients across a range of neuromuscular conditions.
